Getting ready for a new baby is a fun and exciting time. Catholic Health is happy to provide classes to make this time as easy as possible for you, your family, and your baby.
Try to register for Childbirth classes before 20 weeks to ensure room in the dates best to you! Prepared Pregnancy is best in the first trimester or as soon as you find out you are expecting. CPR and Car Seat Safety is good for every parent and care-giver.
Catholic Health is happy to offer both in person and online educational programs to suite your needs! For help or to register for programs, please call Catholic Health’s HealthConnection at (716) 447-6205.
When registering for class, this form will also be used to pre-admit you to the hospital. Pre-admitting will decrease your paperwork when you arrive in labor!
Catholic Health will bill your insurance company for the class(es) you attend. If your insurance does not cover all of the cost, you may receive a bill for the amount not covered. If costs are an issue, please call (716) 601-3600 for billing options and assistance.
If you wish to self-pay, or if you do not want Catholic Health to bill your insurance for any reason, please check the
box in the Insurance Information section of the attached registration form.
Download the Registration Form
Congratulations!
This 2 hour webinar gives you a look into how your body is changing, how the baby grows, and how to take care of both of
you through this amazing time. We will look at diet, exercise, and tips to make pregnancy as comfortable and smooth as
possible. Taught by one of our nurses, this is a good time to ask questions!
For parents who know they will be scheduled for a Cesarean Delivery, this class covers what to expect. There is a more
detailed look at what to expect with a Cesarean Birth and even more detail about recovery. You will get a chance to ask
any questions you might have and will have some tools to make birth and the first weeks at home easier!
This Active Comfort Techniques for Labor class is an add on class with additional comfort measures. Taught by an
experienced doula or nurse educator, this class uses upright positions and techniques that are used worldwide to reduce
the discomfort of labor and the length of labor. Modern techniques from such organizations as Spinning Babies ® and
Dancing For Birth™ are also discussed.
With all the talk about the new baby, you are important too! Make sure you are comfortable with what you need to do to
heal after the birth of your baby. This class will look at tips and tricks to ease your recovery and regain your
strength after childbirth.
If you have been told you are at a higher risk for early delivery or if you have serious medical concerns during your
pregnancy, this class looks at common complications or risk factors in pregnancy. We discuss ways to reduce risks and
look at additional medical care that may be recommended.
This class is for Mom’s delivery partner since right now you are her sole family support in the hospital for comfort in
labor. Additionally, this class gives you the chance to ask questions and get good information about what to watch for
physically, emotionally, and medically before and after the birth of the baby.
Total class time: 2 hours.
It is amazing how much changes! Grandparents are experts in so many areas of child raising, but if you would like a
refresher or just a look at what recommendations have changed, please join us. This class covers new infant care, (car
seat and sleep safety), supportive care for the new parents, and we will provide you with a copy of our BabyTalk book
which covers early infancy care in even more detail.
This class covers what to do in emergencies. Choking, CPR, use of an AED, and a first aid summary are included. This
knowledge can save your child’s life in an emergency! This class is not limited to new parents, it also makes a great
safety course for Grandparents and other family members who may be caring for your precious new one.
Proper car seat use saves lives! Many parents are shocked to find out that car seats are usually used incorrectly (up to
93% of car seats used incorrectly at hospital discharge in the most recent American Academy of Pediatrics study.) Right
now this class is being offered primarily as an online Webinar with a Child Passenger Safety Technician or instructor.
Follow ups are offered as a virtual car seat check with an instructor as a 1:1 FaceTime, Video Call, or Webinar in orderf
to go over personal features of your vehicle and your car seat and insure a safe install. For our car seat grant
program, 1:1 in person appointments will be scheduled.
In-person Baby Café at Mercy Hospital of Buffalo
Meeting the 1st Monday of the month from 5:30pm-7:30pm and the 3rd Monday of the month from 11:00am-1:00pm.
Located in the 4th floor Maternity Conference Room. All pregnant women, breastfeeding moms, partners and siblings are welcome. Join us for the entire meeting or drop in for a few minutes, we look forward to seeing you there!
No reservations needed. Questions or to confirm dates and times, please call Mercy’s Lactation office (716)-828-2616.
Virtual Baby Café at Sisters of Charity Hospital
Tuesdays 11:00 am-1:00 pm & Thursdays 6:30 pm-8:30 pm
Virtual Breastfeeding Support Group – Facilitated by a trained lactation consultant
The Baby Café includes:
For more information and the link to join, please email familyclasses@chsbuffalo.org for your reservation, or call 716-862-1939.
This class is perfect as a review or as a basic childbirth class. We will overview the labor and delivery process, look at comfort measures and common medical procedures in childbirth, and have some time to overview positions and helpful tips for reducing discomfort. An optional tour follows our classes in our birthing hospitals.
If you are looking for a more detail than we can provide virtually in two hours, or want to practice positions and comfort measures, please check out our Prepared Childbirth – Activity class!
Childbirth classes are perfect for any expectant parent who wants to know what will happen in labor and delivery and beyond. This class is perfect as a review or as a basic childbirth class. We will overview the labor and delivery process, look at comfort measures and common medical procedures in childbirth, and have some time to overview positions and helpful tips for reducing discomfort. An optional tour follows our classes in our birthing hospitals. We do a 3 hour slightly condensed version of this class in the evenings but review in a bit more depth (4 hours) on weekend days.
If you are looking for an online version of this class without as many details – check out our Prepared Childbirth – Basics class!
These classes are geared towards parents who desire additional Lamaze focus for natural childbirth or a more
comprehensive class than the Childbirth Basics class. These classes have four sessions, meeting once a week. This
class will include many comfort measures, the Lamaze 6 Healthy Birth Practices, and extra time for practice. It will
also cover common medical interventions and ways to use natural childbirth techniques even when medical assistance is
needed.
The arrival of multiples is amazing! This class is intended to add to the Prepared Childbirth Class or the Prepared
Cesarean Delivery class for parents expecting more than one new arrival. This class will give you more information about
what is happening both during your pregnancy the differences at time of birth and in the early days!
A Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC) or International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) will share tips to
make breastfeeding easier! This class is geared towards avoiding common problems and getting breastfeeding off to a
good start. For more information on pumping and feeding a baby expressed milk – please also look into the Breastfeeding
and Bottles class! You will receive a book with this class that will also give you online tools and apps for further
review. Questions are always welcome and helps us customize each class to your needs.
A Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC) or International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) will look at
expressing (pumping) milk and safe bottle feeding practices with Mama’s milk. We will look at the laws protecting women
in the workplace (or school) who need to take time to express milk for their children. Safe pumping practices and
cleaning techniques for bottles and pumps will be discussed. We will also look at storage of milk and then techniques
for feeding a breastfed baby with a bottle (sometimes they get picky!) This class is a great follow up to the
Preparing to Breastfeed class.
This class gives you a bit of what to expect in the first six months with your baby! We discuss care of your newborn,
health concerns to watch for, and challenges all new parents face. You will receive a book with online access to
multiple tools and apps for future reference. Please bring lots of questions! This class is not limited to new
parents, it also makes a great refresher course for Grandparents and other family members who may be caring for your
precious new one.
These classes are intended to provide first-time parents the chance to connect with other expecting parents, work
together as a parenting team, and support your child’s growth and development.
Tours are complimentary for all expectant parents. Spending an hour with an educator to have all your questions answered
is helpful as you prepare for birth.
Are you at risk for or diagnosed with gestational diabetes in pregnancy? Although not a replacement for a 1:1 consult
with a dietician, this class gives a general understanding of gestational diabetes and diabetes in pregnancy so you can
take the best care of yourself and your little one while navigating this journey! Please call Health Connections to
register at (716) 447-6205.
The Catholic FertilityCare™ Center of WNY provides instruction in the Creighton Model FertilityCare™ System (CrMS) of
Natural Family Planning. When using this system, a woman observes changes in her cervical mucus and menstrual patterns
to determine when she is fertile and infertile.
Christina is a Registered Nurse with past experience in Home Health, ICU, NICU, Labor and Delivery, Mother/Baby, and School Nursing. Christina has her Master’s degree in Nursing Education, is an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant), a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator, a Dancing for Birth Instructor, an American Red Cross CPR instructor, a Child Passenger Safety Instructor (car seat tech), and specializes in providing information! She oversees the educational programs for our expectant parents but really prefers teaching to overseeing, so is usually found teaching a class at Sisters of Charity Hospital, Mercy Hospital of Buffalo, or Mt.St. Mary’s Hospital. Christina teaches a bit of everything at all locations but loves the interactive classes the most. Learning safety techniques such as First Aid for Choking is so important for any family, she emphasizes that these classes are not JUST for new parents – anyone who cares for children is welcome to come ensure they know how to safely use a car seat, learn CPR, or attend a BabyTalk or Grandparent class. Christina has a passion for ensuring women are confident in their ability to birth their babies and wants to make sure women have all the tools they need to fuel that confidence. After five births of her own, she knows that birth can be a joyful, vibrant experience and wishes each expectant couple the best in their journey!
Shannon J. CD (DONA) teaches our Activity Childbirth Classes, BabyTalk Classes, Tours, and can be seen at Sisters, Mercy, or even Mt.St.Mary’s. She also teaches classes in the community to provide convenient times and locations for our expectant parents. Shannon has four years of experience with childbirth education, including Lamaze Style classes and Evidence Based Birth classes. Being a mother of 6, Shannon has learned how valuable it is to have quality education and support during pregnancy and birth. While working with expectant mothers, Shannon noticed many new parents would benefit from additional information to reduce fears and improve their birth experience. Shannon is also a Certified Birth Doula and Postpartum Doula. Shannon has been a Birth Doula in for 5 years. Shannon became a Doula after supporting and guiding friends through their labors and births of their children. She is also still serving the community as an active doula and founder of Calming Nature Doula Center.
Ashley is a mom of four, DONA certified birth doula, certified lactation counselor and an experienced health educator with a Master’s Degree in Health Education and an Undergraduate Degree in Health and Wellness. She is a 200 hour certified yoga teacher, specializing in prenatal and kids yoga. Ashley is also certified through HypnoBirthing International as a childbirth educator and a certified instructor of CPR and First Aid through the American Red Cross. You will find Ashley teaching our Activities Childbirth, Breastfeeding, Infant and Child CPR, Comfort Techniques, Lamaze Focus and Prenatal Yoga classes while checking proper installation of car seats. Ashley is a passionate educator immersed in all things birth and parenthood. Her goal is to provide quality education to assist in positive and empowered birth experience.
Susan is a Registered Nurse with extensive experience in Labor and Delivery, Mother/Baby, Special Care Nursery, the Baby Cafe, and Home Health. Susan is an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant), and a Child Passenger Safety Instructor (car seat tech). Susan has 4 children of her own. She loves to help prepare families for their journey to parenthood. She understands that while the birth of your baby is exciting, there can also be a lot of change. She hopes that through education, parents can better understand the birth process, decrease their anxiety and advocate for themselves to have the birth experience they desire. She is also passionate about breastfeeding and helping moms to achieve their goals. Susan teaches and assists with all classes. She is often seen at Mercy Hospital giving tours to expectant parents. Susan loves to bring humor into her classes and always has a story to tell.
Marlene is a self-directed nurse with 40+ years medical surgical experience in a medical teaching hospital. She has a Master’s Degree in Nursing Executive Leadership and Change and works as a Nursing Student Preceptor, Nursing Staff Mentor, and PTECH Mentor. She is a Diabetes Educator and you will find her immersed in community events and teaching our gestational diabetes classes while also checking the safety of car seats through our car seat safety classes. Marlene is married with two adult children and loves supporting them in their endeavors. She also visits and spend much time with her mom of 93 years in her new move in assisted living.
Brynn has been a Registered Nurse since 2011, spending most of her career working in Labor and Delivery. Brynn is passionate about pregnancy, birth, and parenthood and loves being a part of the Prenatal Education Team. She believes in supporting growing families in a loving, non-judgmental, approachable way that allows families to feel safe and seen. Being a twin mom herself, Brynn loves to teach the “Multiple Miracles” class online. She enjoys meeting parents expecting multiples and helping them feel prepared and confident on their pregnancy and delivery journey. Brynn also gives tours of Mercy Hospital, where she works as an L&D nurse. You may also see Brynn teaching some of our other prenatal education classes in person or online.
