At Kopa Birth®, we specialize in empowering women for natural childbirth in a hospital setting. We know that birth centers and home births also provide an environment for safe, satisfying natural births. Yet some natural childbirth classes, even popular ones, are notorious for breeding distrust of the hospital system. Our online birthing classes are created and continuously refined by experienced healthcare professionals, including certified childbirth educators, nurses, and midwives. These experts understand the intricacies of natural birth in a hospital environment and are committed to guiding couples through this transformative experience.
Our birthing classes aim to introduce couples to a wide variety of pain coping strategies, enabling you to embrace contractions with calm and confidence. Unlike some courses that concentrate on a single method or isolated coping style, Kopa Birth offers a rich blend of the best coping tools from proven natural childbirth philosophies. This includes hypnobirthing-style relaxation, active partner involvement, varied breathing techniques, and movement; all designed to enhance your unique birthing experience.
When a natural approach to childbirth is embraced, the role of the partner becomes actively hands-on. The Kopa® Birth Course offers detailed instruction in each class, teaching your partner how to be effectively involved during and between contractions. This includes learning various techniques such as massage, movement, applying pressure, hot & cold therapies, and offering emotional support, among others. Kopa Birth® classes focus equally on equipping you and your partner with the skills and confidence to experience a positive birth.
Many moms worry that a natural, low-intervention birth is unlikely in a hospital setting. This simply is not true! Yes, hospitals do offer IVs, epidurals, inductions, and other interventions. But we’ll show you what to expect from the moment you walk into the hospital until the moment baby is born. We’ll also discuss specific interventions and the scenarios when interventions are and are not necessary. And we’ll equip you with strategies to communicate confidently with your nurses and doctor/midwife with confidence, ensuring your preferences are understood and respected.
Preparing for a low-intervention, natural hospital birth requires deliberate practice and planning. Yet, birth can be unpredictable. Even the best preparation, unexpected situations may arise. Kopa Birth® will teach you how to practice and prepare for the birth outcome that you want, and will also encourage you to be flexible and to give yourself grace. No judgment or shaming here!
Kopa Birth® classes provide more than 12 hours of premium video content. Although we offer written resources (such as 100+ page, full-color, downloadable course manual), the course is designed for active engagement and participation. You and your partner will immerse yourselves in practicing breathing techniques, positioning, and moving together, along with enjoying some entertaining, lecture-style instruction. But if voice-over PowerPoints are your preference, this is not the course for you.
We recognize that some moms may not feel comfortable in a hospital setting, possible due to negative experiences with doctors or a desire to avoid interventions altogether. Although a key objective of the Kopa® Birth class is to equip couples with coping techniques for natural birth, if your focus is not on navigating a hospital environment, you might find that the extensive time we dedicated to hospital birth instruction doesn’t align with your specific needs.
For many first-time moms, natural childbirth can be the most demanding physical challenge they’ll ever face. It requires significant effort, and we’re committed to equipping you with tools to feel calm and empowered during contractions. But if your birth plan takes an unexpected turn and you need or want an intervention, it’s important to know that it’s a valid and informed choice. Your birth is a success regardless of the path it takes! Kopa Birth® teaches moms to have grace for themselves and will prepare you with the confidence to make the decisions that are right for you. If you view the use of an epidural or pain medication as a failure, our approach to childbirth education may not align well with your beliefs.
The Kopa® Birth Course is nothing short of thorough. We cover a broad range of topics, from recognizing labor signs to knowing when to head to the hospital. But we’re also going to go deep into subjects like baby’s position in the pelvis and positions you can try to help turn baby during labor. Each session includes homework assignments, such as daily deep relaxation practice for 20 minutes every day that you can. This course is best suited for couples who want an in-depth understanding of natural hospital birth and are committed to consistently practicing coping strategies.
Yes! Kopa Birth® classes are fully eligible for reimbursement through most HSA, FSA, and HRAs. In many cases, you can use your card to purchase the course directly on our website. If you need to purchase the course through a different payment method, your purchase receipt includes all the information you will need to send to your plan administrator to receive a reimbursement for your course. Learn more about HSA FSA eligibility.
We know that there’s a lot of hope and trust wrapped up in your choice of childbirth class, and we want this to be a risk-free experience for you. If for some reason you’re unsatisfied with the course, we offer a 30-day, 100% money-back guarantee. Just email us at [email protected], and we’ll process the refund.
The Kopa® Online Birth course features 12+ hours of video content split into 10 classes, with a bonus 11th class.
The content is available 24/7, so you are free to watch the videos as quickly as you need. But if you have a few months before your due date, here’s our recommended viewing schedule:
Week 1: Watch Classes #1 and 2
Week 2: Watch classes #3 and 4
Week 3: Watch classes #5 and 6
Week 4: Watch classes #7 and 8
Week 5: Watch classes #9 and 10
Any additional time you have before your due date will be spent practicing your labor coping tools, practicing, and practicing some more!! This is also a great time to re-watch any sections of the course where you need a little refresher.
The Kopa® Birth Course offers a 12-month access period.
Plus Membership gives you LIFETIME access to the Kopa® Birth Course and all other Kopa® Birth online courses. This means you can return and watch the classes again in a future pregnancy.
A list of “homework” assignments is provided at the end of each class. These include suggestions such as practicing deep relaxation or breathing techniques, having a discussion with your doctor/midwife about a particular subject, or prepping your labor-tools bag for the hospital. Completing these assignments and practicing the labor coping tools will significantly increase your ability to have a calm, rewarding natural hospital birth.
You will gain a wide variety of pain-coping skills in this course, from patterned breathing techniques to deep relaxation and labor positions. Practicing these techniques regularly will help you develop deep muscle memory. This will enable you to over-ride your natural, instinctive response to pain and replace it with the more effective tools you learn in the course.
Realistically, plan to set aside at least 20 minutes each day to practice.
Yes! This course is aimed to prepare both mom and partners for a transformation natural hospital birth. Partners are included in each and every class, gaining labor support skills along the way.
Kopa Birth® goes way beyond the basics of how to time contractions and when to leave for the hospital! We’ll demonstrate everything partners needs to know to support mom during labor
How to help mom breathe in labor
Pressure techniques to ease back pain
Touch and massage
Emotional cues
What to do if mom starts to struggle during labor
How to recognize when you need to offer new coping techniques
How to advocate for informed consent
The comprehensive nature of this course is suited to prepare couples for a natural childbirth. If you’re planning an epidural, you’ll learn all you need to know…and then some. But is it worth the time and money if you’re planning an epidural?
If you’re planning to get an epidural before contractions start (for example, you request a labor induction and start the epidural at the same time as the pitocin), and you’re on board with however your doctor wants to manage the labor from a medical perspective, this course would very likely be information overload. You could probably get the information you need in a shorter course that’s more focused on epidural birth, such as a hospital-based childbirth class.
If you want to learn coping tools to manage contractions before your epidural (say you want to labor at home for as long as possible before going to the hospital, or your hospital encourages moms to be 6 centimeters dilated and in active labor before hospital admission), this course will prepare you and your partner to cope well with contractions and labor pain. And if you would like to understand how interventions are connected in labor and try to avoid additional interventions, you’ll be well-prepared to ask questions and make informed choices.
Ultimately, if you view the courses and practice what you learn, you’ll enter labor with the freedom to make choices during your birth. You’ll be able to walk the halls, get in the tub, move on a birth ball, or ultimately decide when you’re ready to start the epidural.
