Five Common Mistakes Made by Childbirth Educators

Being a childbirth educator is a rewarding and enriching experience, but it doesn't come without some bumps in the road. Like all things in life, you're likely to make some mistakes as a childbirth educator. This can happen at the beginning of your journey or even after you have a ton of experience under your belt.

Here, we’ll take a look at five common mistakes that childbirth educators make and some tips on how to fix them.

Mistake 1: Scheduling Blunders

It is important to understand the needs of your clientele when you set up your course schedules. When prospective clients look to sign up for a childbirth education class, their decision is often based on timing and convenience. After all, they are typically busy people, balancing jobs, families and other commitments.

If you schedule a course with little advance notice, it may not allow enough time for people to find and enroll in your class. Even if you do a great job marketing your class, a course starting soon may not be possible to work it into a potential clients already-full schedule. Finding the right balance is important. For most people, starting a class that begins in a month or two works best, but there are always those that like to plan farther ahead. If possible, schedule your courses several months in advance and have a few options for people to choose from. 

When scheduling a class, check the dates to ensure you don't overlap any classes or have personal conflicts. Also, check the calendar for holidays, major sporting events or other significant events and avoid holding class on these dates when parents are not likely to want to attend. Finally, be sure to keep your schedule up-to-date and easy to find for prospective clients. 

Mistake 2: Making It Hard to Sign Up

In today's era of technology, it is important to have online signup for your childbirth education classes. You want to have a website where clients can sign up that is as user-friendly as possible. When planning your sign-up process, consider your own experience as a consumer. No one wants to fill out a complicated, detailed form or have to send a lengthy personal message in order to sign up for a class or purchase a product.

The simpler the better. Have a checkout process with a “buy now” button whenever possible, rather than having clients fill out a contact form that requires you to contact them in order to complete registration. Give clients as many payment options as possible, too. And while you need to get some basic info from your clients, don’t make them fill out endless forms in order to sign up for the class. If you need them to fill out a survey, have them do that after they’ve already committed to the class, and keep this as short and to-the-point as possible, too. Have friends or family do a "test registration" on your site and provide you with feedback on ways you can make the process even easier.

Mistake 3: Not Being Honest About What You Do and Don't Know

If you are a childbirth educator, you are not only passionate about supporting pregnant women, you are brimming with knowledge about pregnancy and childbirth options. But that doesn’t mean you know everything. No one does. And it’s important to be honest about what you do and don’t know.

So, while you may be able to answer most of the questions that your clients have, it’s okay to say, “You know what, I don’t know enough about that. I will do some research and get back to you at our next class.”

This not only ensures that you don’t share misinformation with your clients, but it shows that you are thoughtful, and a life-long learner. It also teaches your clients not to jump to conclusions about childbirth without furthering their knowledge first.

Mistake 4: Getting Stuck in a Teaching Rut

Once you get your childbirth classes down to a science, it can be tempting to stick to the same old script time and again. While most of us don’t have time to reinvent the wheel every time we teach a new class, it’s important to evolve and expand your approach to avoid being stuck in a rut. That goes for what you teach as well as how you teach it.

You can help prevent teaching ruts by keeping up with the latest research about childbirth and infusing it into your lessons. Try new interactive activities with your clients periodically and ask for their feedback. Evaluate your teaching methods and don't be afraid to simplify or remove activities that are no longer effective. It can be hard to maintain a high level of self-motivation, so if needed, take a quarter off from teaching and devote it to reflection, revamping and continuing education.

Mistake 5: Not Allowing Time for Reflection

We know the basics for a strong childbirth education class: a bit of lecturing, plenty of interactive activities, and a wrap-up at the end of class. But what many educators don’t integrate into their classes is time for clients to reflect and process what they've learned. This reflection can happen at the end of class, but can be infused throughout the class as well. This can come in the form of writing, small group discussions, or a Q&A with the instructor.

Reflecting and processing what’s been learned can help your students retain the information, integrate it into their thoughts and feelings, and make meaningful connections they'll be able to remember during labor.

Takeaways

Making mistakes as a childbirth educator isn’t just normal and expected—it’s part of how you learn, grow and improve. By recognizing these mistakes and working through them, you will become more effective as an educator. Both you and your clients will benefit from your deepened knowledge, enhanced creativity, and humility.

Are there additional mistakes you've made that have helped you improve as an educator? Tell us in the comments. 

Wendy Wisner, Freelance Writer and Lactation Consultant (IBCLC)

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