Daisy birthing teachers and those who've attended classes

[TheWhoOfWhoville]

Are there any daisy teachers here? Seriously considering booking the training but I have a few questions about how much interest you have in your courses. Is it feasible to fill all 10 places on the course and how many classes do you run a week (for example in the standard size area which I think is a population of 125000)

For anyone who's attended a daisy birthing class (or other antenatal class) could you let me know what you liked and disliked about the class? What would you really like to see in a class and what would persuade you to pick it over another?

Thank you for any help :)

I went to a Lazy Daisy Birthing and Yoga class- is that what you mean? I chose it purely because it was 10 minutes walk from my house . I quite enjoyed the breathing exercises and yoga but could have lived without the affirmations part. I'm pregnant again now and I'm in two minds about whether to go again- having given birth I'm not sure I could keep a straight face during the "all pain is positive" affirmation!!!
There were 6 women at our and it was a 6 week course but you could join at any time and leave at any time, This was a real bonus as you didn't have to pay up front for a class in 6 weeks time. Another thing that really got word of mouth going with the one I went to was the meet ups that the class teacher set up afterwards, it was clearly an effort and she didn't have to do it but so much of this sort of thing is actually about making friends that it was a really valuable thing.
The lady who taught mine has moved on now and become a doula.

Thanks nicky that's really helpful. I' m with you on the all pain is positive thing!

Just finished a 6 week course. Yet to give birth (this time around ) and put it into practice. One criticism I had was lack of handouts. I'm rubbish at remembering what exercises to do and what the teacher said was good for what, do could do with a prompt at home. Also, having done nct in previous pregnancy, it isn't as easy to make friends from - less chatting time, no organised sharing of contact details (apart from a Facebook group with 300 people on it as must be anyone who has done classes in our area for years-so not very useful! ), no meet ups organised just for our group (although I know the teacher does also run mother and baby groups in the area, so I guess may bump into people again at these).Also less effort than nct to group you with people due a similar time.

The positives -teacher down to earth. Didn't put down medical intervention etc too much to claim birth doesn't hurt! We didn't do the affirmations one poster mentioned. A lack of realism would have put me right off. Nice to mix birth preparation with relaxation and exercise too. That's a good selling point, although can make it hard to explain what the classes are to people!

The woman who runs it in our area ( a city) seems to do well -employing another teacher pt and advertising for another. I think there are about 4 -6 birthing courses going on each week, plus a couples workshop about one day a month, a few baby massage and yoga type classes each week and a fortnightly informal mother and baby group.

Thanks mrsdumbldore that's great. I agree, when I was pregnant one of the main things I was looking for in an antenatal class was to meet local mums to be. Sounds as though this aspect could definitely be built upon.

Marking place to reply properly later :)

I have been teaching Daisy Birthing® classes since September so just over 6 months. I started my training very soon after the birth of my daughter & actually decided to become a teacher whilst pregnant & doing classes myself - I enjoyed them & saw the benefit that much.

With regards to class numbers I think 10 is definitely achievable but as with any new business, you need to allow time for it to grow & build up to this (& put in some serious hours networking, advertising & generally getting word out). Once you have been teaching a few terms, mums will recommend you & that personally for me is when things started to get busier.

I currently teach 3 birthing classes & 1 baby class - I plan to teach more but with a 10 month old & 3.5 year old I can't fit in much more at this point.

2 of my classes have a limit of 6 due to the venue size but then hire is minimal so it doesn't matter - I have had a term where I started with only 3 mums but then was fully booked in all the next term. My other class has 10 which is again at capacity but depending on the size of your venue, I know many teachers can fit 12 - 14. I also teach couples workshops which are very popular.

In terms of the support offered by head office I'd say its pretty unique. The whole team are very easily accessible & have put a lot of time & effort in to supporting us as teachers (who are also really supportive of eachother)

So six months in I'm not far off where I wanted to be at 18 months. I'm a much more confident teacher now than when I started, & a lot of mums do repeat terms - I have 2 mums in class about to start their 4th term! I suppose ultimately you get out what you put in but you need to be realistic in what you expect & give it some time.

I love teaching classes & am very passionate about women being supported in their choices & having the knowledge to make informed decisions. I think you certainly need to love it to make it a success. Hope that helps & good luck with what you decide :) xx

Hi
I am a Daisy teacher who also attended classes with my second baby. It ;s great to hear you are considering training, Daisy is a wonderful place to be right now. I suppose the honest answer to your questions is that you get out what you put in, considered marketing effort, online presence and networking all reap rewards. I currently have 14 mums in birth and baby classes and am creating a lovely community where I live.

If I may answer some of the other points from other mums while I am here, in the interest of balance of course! :)

Most courses are payable in 6 week blocks up front, it is of course up to the individual teacher to offer different payment options. Creating a community is also something that many Daisy teachers strive for as this valuable peer to peer support provides a lot of the positivity mums are looking for. It is harder to have time for chatting in class as the structure doesn't really allow for it, but I do know a lot of Daisy teachers, myself included, run coffee meets, day time farm trips as well as an active online group. :)

Daisy has recently undergone a huge re-brand making it a social enterprise to demonstrate the commitment to helping mums access quality antenatal preparation.

Affirmations may not be everyone's cup of tea, I grant you! Each teacher usually has their own perspective on what might be well received!
Not having hand outs though is quite deliberate - the weekly classes are designed to deliver your antenatal education and relaxation in a very specific format. Daisy wants to avoid the prescriptive nature that hand outs might create - ie; at this 'stage' you must do this or that. A birthing women really needs to feel safe and relaxed in order to let go and birth. It should have been pointed out that handouts are available at the birth partner workshops which are again a different format specific for the participants, usually men, sometimes mums, sisters, doulas etc - but the point is that the birth partner retains use of their 'thinking' brain during mums labour and can read a handout which should support them and mum. I do hope that goes some way to explaining why the classes are structured this way.

We welcome all kinds of feedback and it makes me happy on a personal level to get the Daisy story out to more mums and dads!

Hope that helps a bit, good luck with your decision x