Courses

Birth in NYC is different. You deserve to understand how it really works.

Real, experience-based birth education for families planning hospital births in New York City — learn how to navigate labor with confidence, reduce unnecessary interventions, and feel truly supported every step of the way.

The class NYC parents wish they’d taken before giving birth.

After more than 20 years supporting families across NYC hospitals, one thing is clear: the families who feel the most confident aren’t necessarily the ones who know the most — they’re the ones who understand how birth actually unfolds in this environment.

That’s what we teach here.

This 4-hour childbirth class is designed for expectant parents who want clear, honest, fun, and supportive birth education — without fear-based messaging or information overload. Because let’s be real: who has time for weekly classes? Kerri’s class is tailored to your specific hospital, your provider, and most importantly — to you.

If you’re pregnant in NYC, this workshop will help you understand how labor actually works, what your options are, and how to make decisions that feel right for your family.

What to Expect

This is a grounded, real-world experience designed to help you understand birth, trust your body, and move through labor with confidence and clarity.

Blending evidence-based education with 20+ years of hands-on experience in NYC hospitals, you’ll leave feeling genuinely prepared — not overwhelmed.

Birth is one of the most important experiences of your life. You deserve to enter it feeling confident, supported, and ready.

We won’t tell you how to give birth. We’ll teach you how to understand your options, know what’s normal, and make decisions that feel right for your family.

Who This Class Is For

• Expectant moms looking for honest, practical childbirth education in NYC

• Partners who want to show up with confidence, calm, and real tools for support

• Couples preparing for a hospital birth with OBs or midwives

• NYC families who want to feel ready — and a little excited — for everything ahead

Notes for Your Visit

This is an adults-only class — we recommend arranging childcare so you can fully focus and enjoy the experience.

Snacks and refreshments are provided. If you have any allergies or dietary needs, just let us know when you register.

Your baby is almost here — and suddenly there are a lot of questions.

Join Tina Goldstein for this hands-on deep dive into everything you need to know before your baby arrives. This session covers the real, practical stuff: swaddling, diaper changes, and how to pick up, hold, soothe, and settle your newborn for sleep. We’ll also walk through key decisions to make before birth, hospital procedures, when to call the pediatrician, when to head to the ER and the “Golden Hour,” that magical first window of bonding and baby’s first experience of feeding.

This workshop is ideal for both parents, or a parent and a caregiver. Single parents are absolutely welcome.

About Tina Goldstein

Tina is a postpartum doula, certified breastfeeding counselor, pediatric sleep consultant, and mom who has supported hundreds of new parents from pregnancy through the fourth trimester and beyond. She also teaches perinatal yoga and facilitates New Parent Support Groups at Brooklyn Flow in Park Slope. Tina meets families exactly where they are — with warmth, practicality, and zero judgment.

$250 per couple or care team | $125 per individual

Who This Class Is For

- Expectant parents and caregivers who want to feel ready before baby arrives

- Parents who want hands-on practice in a supportive group setting

- Single parents, grandparents, and anyone joining the care team

Notes for Your Visit

- This is an adults-only class. We recommend arranging childcare so you can fully focus.

- Snacks and refreshments are provided. Let us know about any allergies when you register.

Knowing CPR could save your child’s life. This workshop gives you the skills and the confidence to act fast if you ever need to.

Led by Jason Mundy, owner and lead instructor of NY Metro CPR, this class has been trusted by thousands of parents and caregivers since 1997. Jason brings genuine passion, deep knowledge, and real energy to every session — his classes are engaging, practical, and actually fun. He’s also a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician, so questions about car seat installation are absolutely fair game.

Spots are limited — register early.

$250 per couple or care team | $125 per individual

Who This Class Is For

- Expectant parents and caregivers who want to be prepared for any situation

- Partners and extended family members who will be caring for the baby

- Anyone who wants the calm confidence that comes from knowing exactly what to do

Notes for Your Visit

- This is an adults-only class. We recommend arranging childcare so you can fully focus.

- Snacks and refreshments are provided. Let us know about any allergies when you register.

This 2-hour drop-in lactation seminar is for new moms and their one-to-four-week-old babies who want clear, honest, supportive guidance on breastfeeding and feeding options. Explore what’s right for your journey, understand what’s normal, and feel confident making decisions that work for you.

Drop-In Schedule

This is a suggested registration fee to attend. Limited spaces available on these weekly dates.

• Mondays (9–10am)

• Wednesdays (9–10am)

• Fridays (9–10am)

What to Expect

• Lots of tears and crying… all the normal new parent feels!

• Lots of encouragement

• Lactation counselor support

• Connections with other new moms

• Pointing you to great resources to support your journey

Who This Class Is For

• New moms and their one-to-four-week-old child who want clear, honest, supportive education

Notes for your Visit

• Newborn babies are welcome, but if possible we recommend arranging childcare for any children over one-month-old to give yourself time to focus during the seminar.

• Snacks and refreshments will be provided, but if you have allergy or dietary needs, please let us know when you register.

This three-hour course is designed for partners, dads, spouses, and sweethearts who want to show up prepared with steadiness, clarity, intention, and quiet confidence during labor and birth. Come and be yourself. Beverages welcome… BYOB!

What to Expect

This course is intended for families who are not planning to have a doula or labor coach for their labor and delivery journey.

You’ve taken the Birth Education class. You understand why families hire doulas  and you also know you can level up and be there in a way no one else can. As pregnancy moves closer to birth, you may feel her shift from excitement to nervousness. This is where you step in.

You’ve heard the stories from friends. You’ve seen the movies where the partner drops the ball at the most important moment. That’s not going to be you. This is the class that teaches you how to become the person she looks to as her whole world changes. Someone who knows her, loves her, and can care for her when she needs it most. Because in that room, she will need you to help others understand who she is and what she needs so she can stay focused on the powerful work of giving birth.

Confident support changes everything. Birth is unpredictable. Your presence doesn’t have to be. This experience gives you the knowledge, language, and practical skills to support your partner calmly and confidently — without trying to turn you into someone you’re not. This class replaces uncertainty with quiet confidence.

You’ll leave knowing how to support, when to step in, and how to remain calm under pressure — skills that meaningfully shape the birth experience. Because confident support is one of the greatest gifts you can give while receiving one of life’s most important gifts — your child.

Who This Class Is For

• Partners and sweethearts who want to feel prepared

• Dads and spouses who value being informed, grounded, and engaged

• Anyone supporting a laboring woman who wants practical, refined guidance

Topics Covered

• How labor truly unfolds and what she may need at each stage

• Hands-on comfort techniques that genuinely ease contractions

• Things to say that help labor to progress

• How to stay calm, grounded, and confident during intense moments

• Ways to connect to the nurses and providers, ways to support decision-making

• What happens in the first hours after birth — and why your role matters there too

• Simple, meaningful ways to bond with your baby from the very beginning

Notes for your Visit

• This is a grownups-only course; we recommend arranging childcare to give yourself time to focus during the class.

• Snacks and refreshments will be provided, but if you have allergy or dietary needs, please let us know when you register.

Kerri is slowing down from the on-call life, but is still accepting a limited number of doula clients for 2026.

To inquire about availability, please email: brooklynbirthshop@gmail.com

A Two-Day Professional Training for Nurses

This comprehensive two-day program is designed for nurses who want to transition into or expand their doula work, with confidence, clarity, and strong ethical grounding.

Breakfast, lunch, refreshments, and healthy snacks are provided both days.

What to Expect

Expand your impact. Deepen your care. Earn the living your experience deserves.

You already understand birth.
You’ve supported labor, witnessed strength, and held space during some of life’s most important moments.

Many nurses begin to feel called to offer something more — the kind of personal, continuous support families need beyond the medical model.

This is where nursing meets doula care.

This two-day Nurse to Doula Training bridges your clinical knowledge with what families need most outside the hospital system: presence, advocacy, education, and trust.

More than additional education, this training is a professional evolution — because the nurses who become doulas are often the ones families remember for a lifetime.

Who This Class Is For

• Labor & Delivery, Postpartum, NICU, OB, or Pediatric nurses drawn to deeper birth support
• Nurses seeking greater autonomy, connection, and flexible income
• Care providers who want to support families before, during, and after birth

What Makes This Training Different

This program honors the experience nurses already bring to birth work while expanding the relational and emotional skills that define excellent doula care.

You will learn how to:

• Build on your clinical foundation while shifting into a supportive, non-medical role
• Offer emotional presence, relational care, and respectful advocacy
• Support physiologic birth as well as medical or complex births
• Navigate hospital dynamics while protecting the family’s voice
• Create ethical, independent doula work in New York City

This training also includes mentorship on the business and professional side of doula work, including:

• Writing professional emails and communicating with clients
• Billing, invoicing, and managing payments
• Creating contracts and setting clear boundaries
• Developing website ideas and marketing your services authentically
• Preparing for doula interviews and consultations
• Building referral relationships and connecting with clients
• Creating a sustainable and respected income in birth work

Topics Covered

The Doula Role

Scope of practice, boundaries, and ethics
Continuous support alongside clinical care
Advocacy that protects relationships and family voice
Supporting diverse families and birth choices

Pregnancy, Labor, and Birth

Prenatal preparation and emotional readiness
Physiologic labor patterns and advanced comfort measures
Support for induction, epidural, cesarean, and VBAC
Clear communication with providers
Calm, grounded presence during intense moments

Postpartum and Practice Building

Immediate postpartum needs and feeding awareness
Recognizing recovery and mental health concerns
Continuity of care after discharge
Fees, contracts, and client communication
Authentic NYC marketing and pathways to full-time doula work

Your Learning Outcomes

You will complete this training with the ability to:

• Confidently support families as a professional doula
• Integrate nursing knowledge with holistic birth support
• Provide calm, trusted care throughout the perinatal period
• Build and grow a sustainable doula practice in New York City

Notes for Your Visit

This is a grown-ups-only course. Children are not able to attend. We recommend arranging childcare so you can focus fully on the training.

Snacks and refreshments will be available throughout the day. If you have allergy or dietary needs, please let us know when registering.

Breakfast and lunch are provided. There will be a one-hour midday break on both days.

Choosing where to give birth and who to give birth with is one of the most important decisions you’ll make during pregnancy.

New York City offers some of the most respected hospitals and birth professionals in the country. From large academic medical centers to community hospitals with deeply experienced midwives, families have many excellent options.

But the “best” hospital or provider isn’t the same for everyone.

The best choice is the one that aligns with your preferences, values, and the type of birth experience you hope to have.

Understanding Your Options

Hospitals

New York City is home to many highly regarded maternity hospitals that offer a range of services — from low-intervention physiologic birth to highly specialized care for complex pregnancies.

But something many families don’t realize is that the hospital culture matters just as much as the building itself.

The Nurses Matter More Than You Think

One of the biggest influences on your birth experience is the nurse who is with you during labor.

Labor nurses are the ones who:

• spend the most time with you
• communicate with the doctor or midwife
• guide you through the intensity of labor
• protect the rhythm and atmosphere of the room

The best hospitals are often the ones with experienced, supportive labor nurses who truly understand birth.

New York City has many incredible labor nurses who bring skill, intuition, humor, and calm presence into the room. When families feel safe, supported, and respected, it is often because a great nurse is helping guide the experience.

Obstetricians (OB-GYNs)

Many families choose to work with an OB-GYN.

OBs are physicians trained in both pregnancy care and surgical birth, including cesarean delivery and high-risk pregnancy management.

Finding the right OB is often about more than credentials. Families frequently want a provider who:

• listens carefully
• respects their preferences
• communicates clearly
• and works collaboratively with the birth team

The right provider should make you feel informed, supported, and confident in your care.

Midwives: A Return to What We’ve Always Known

Midwifery care is a return.

A return to the wisdom women have carried for generations long before modern medicine, long before birth became something to manage instead of trust.

Midwives are trained professionals, but their care is rooted in something deeper.
They are there to support the natural rhythm of labor, to protect the environment around you, and to help you stay connected to your body and your instincts.

For many families, working with a midwife means:

• more time and attention during pregnancy
• a focus on physiologic, low-intervention birth
• feeling seen, heard, and deeply supported
• continuity of care with someone who truly knows you

But beyond all of that, midwifery offers something harder to put into words.

It brings us back to ourselves.

Because the truth is —
we don’t need to be empowered.

We are the power.

Midwifery care doesn’t give that to you.
It protects it.
It trusts it.
And it helps you remember it was yours all along.

NYC is home to an incredible community of Midwives who have supported generations of families through birth.

How We Help Families Decide

With so many options in New York City, it can feel overwhelming.

Part of our work is helping families understand:

• which hospitals may be the best fit for them
• which OBs or midwives align with their birth preferences
• which hospitals are known for particularly supportive nursing teams
• what the culture of each hospital is really like
• and how to build a birth team that works well together

Because where you give birth matters —
but who supports you while you’re doing it matters even more.

Email to setup a zoom call or a phone call

“After supporting births across New York City for more than 20 years, I’ve seen firsthand how different hospitals — and even different shifts — can shape a birth experience.”