Representation, Do Overs, and Real Talk: Why Hospital Birth Classes Just Don’t Cut It
Missed part one of this reflection series about being a guest on The Doula Darcy Podcast? Click here to get caught up on how this course came to be and the fire that fueled it.
What Most Hospital Classes Don’t Teach You (And Why That Matters)
Before I ever started teaching childbirth classes, I sat through the big hospital ones. I attended all three of the major health systems’ offerings in my city. And I walked away disappointed.
The classes told you where to park and what ID to bring. They gave you a tour of the labor and delivery wing and show you where peanut balls were stored. They spent about ten minutes going over the stages of labor, about the same length of time going over coping mechanisms (all medicated, by the way), and spoke about the number of visitors you could have throughout your labor or postpartum stay.
But they barely touched on what your body really does in labor — or how to ask questions when interventions are suggested. They weren’t talking about informed choice, consent, or physiology. And they certainly weren’t preparing people for the emotional and hormonal experience of birth.
That’s why my course exists.
If you’re nodding along thinking “I didn’t know any of this either,” that’s exactly why I created Your Birth, Your Options — to show you what’s possible and how to ask for it.
My Hope for First-Time Birthers
Too many people walk away from their first birth experience saying, “Next time, I’ll do it differently.” That breaks my heart. Yes, every birth is unpredictable. But when you go in prepared — mentally, physically, and emotionally — you make decisions that reflect your values and needs, not just hospital protocol.
My hope is that people can have a first birth experience they feel good about, one they don’t need to “redo, " one where they know they have choices every step of the way.
That’s why I say it all the time (and named my course after it): It’s your birth. And you have options.
This course isn’t fluff. It’s everything I’ve learned as a doula, educator, and parent — and it’s available to you, on your time, right here.
Darcy, thanks again for having me as a guest on your podcast and for so naturally pulling my passions, possibilities, and power out of me.
For those who listen to our episode, I hope your own internal fire is ignited and you confidently step toward the next big thing in your life.
