What Our Clients Tell Us...
My wife and I were blessed with the birth of our first child on April 28, 2005 at 9:49 pm. With us at the delivery was Krista Garhart, our FCEA instructor.
As a new father and conscientious husband, I would like to give tribute to Krista and FCEA for their work, services, and support for families in Northern Colorado. Christine and I tried to equip ourselves with as much knowledge and tools as possible going into our childbirth. I, personally, found FCEA's approach well-suited to my needs and level of understanding. It was grounded in what I already knew through my own self-education, and effectively built on it in a way where I could easily internalize the knowledge. I found the pace appropriate and the supplemental materials accessible.
Most importantly, going into the labor and birth, I felt very confident in what was happening, what to expect, and the kinds of decisions available to us. Christine's labor was difficult - nearly 71 hours! yet, through it all, I felt like I had many tools and techniques available to me as a support person. The 7-week FCEA class really helped prepare me for my role, duties, and possibilities.
I contrast my FCEA experience with a 4 week class offered through our previous medical provider. I left that course feeling like I knew nothing about labor and birth, and without any confidence in what to do as a support person. It had a highly hospital/medical orientation, implying that neither my wife nor I had any control over the labor or birthing process. The class did not provide much information about the birth process itself, compared to what Krista presented in our class. In comparing the two, FCEA clearly stands heads-and-shoulders above the medical provider's sanctioned class. Looking back, I truly wonder how our classmates in the provider's class fared in their labors and births; all were gripped by fear of the whole experience and the class did nothing to assuage this fear and provide any knowledge and confidence. In fact, in many ways it fed into this perceived lack of control.
In sum, the greatest benefit of the FCEA class was having the presence
of mind and spirit to support my wife in her labor and delivery.
Krista was incredibly supportive and giving of her time and energy
throughout the class and then through our labor and delivery. Having
Krista at our delivery was especially beneficial for providing hands-on
assistance with the first breast-feeding attempt as the hospital staff
and midwife were busy dealing with other things.
Thank you for providing such a needed service to our community. As a husband and father, I was able to be there physically and emotionally for Christine in this most special moment in our lives.
- Tony Cheng and Christine Dianni
"Before the birth of our second child, my husband and I attended the childbirth refresher sessions. Even though we'd been through this before, it's amazing how much you forget and no two births are alike! Our instructor allowed us to discuss and learn from our previous birth experiences. This was more helpful than diagrams and videos alone. We felt so much more prepared. The classes truly educated us and helped build our confidence, which was key to our successful labor and delivery. We almost didn't sign up and we're so grateful we did!"
- Wendy and Jim Abbott
"The classes really helped us put our fears about labor and
delivery aside and allowed us to focus
on the excitement and miracle of our baby's birth. The
postpartum classes were just as
important. All the couples from our class still meet.
It's great to see the kids grow and it gives
the parents a chance to reconnect."
- Meg and Tommy Doyle.
"We were thrilled to have the natural labor and birth experience we wanted. The FCEA training was instrumental in helping us achieve our goals. The classes prepared us well. During labor we used many of the relaxation and birthing techniques we learned. The classes were fun, packed with information, and very beneficial. We highly recommend the FCEA program to all expectant parents."
- Laurie and Jeff Langhorn
"Besides learning about what happens during labor
and birth, we made great friends in our class.
Our instructor was invaluable support during labor
and delivery. As nervous new parents, we
really looked forward to our weekly postpartum classes.
In fact, we loved them so much, the
moms in our classes started a playgroup. We still
meet every week, and our children are toddlers
now!"
- Elizabeth and Keith Lobdell