One Day Immersive
Our One Day Childbirth Preparation Immersive class is a best selling class, and a student favorite. It’s the complete content of our 5-Week Childbirth Preparation Course— taught in one day.
Available Sessions
Please select the class type you are interested in to be taken to the booking calendar.
Course Breakdown
1. Birth Foundations for an Empowered Birth
The fundamentals of birthing, and our foundation for the class.
2. Physiology of Labor
Anatomy! Everything we forgot from 8th grade biology, and then a really in depth picture of birth and your body.
3. Finding Comfort in Labor
Positioning, movement, massage, and more! A class where your birth partner can really shine with partner support.
4. General Interventions and Advocacy
What’s on offer when you’re giving birth, and how you and your partner can advocate for your best birth.
5. Navigating Birth in a Bay Area Hospital
We have so, so much experience helping people give birth in the Bay Area.
6. Postpartum
You made it! An orientation to recovery and caring for your brand new baby.
Save up to 15% with a package!
Our most popular classes, paired with our most popular workshops. Save on both by buying together!
Meet the Instructors
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Throughout her entire life, Heidi has been a reassuring voice to others. A leader and supporter, a woman and a friend. Heidi earned an associate degree from Northern Arizona University in Environmental Sciences and a Dual Masters from the University of California Berkeley in Urban Planning/Environmental Sciences. After working for several years and earning a high-level management position in the solar power industry, Heidi had a life-changing realization. She became a mom and immediately realized that support is a fundamental need during pregnancy, labor and birth.
Heidi left her degree and career to pursue becoming a professional, certified doula. Heidi knew that with her passion for providing support, her commitment to education, and her ability to encourage and reassure others, becoming a doula was an obvious choice. It was almost as if the position was created specifically for her!
Heidi is certified to teach HypnoBirthing and Lamaze Childbirth classes. She has trained as a birth doula through DONA, CAPPA, Cornerstone, ProDoula, and Dynamo Doula. Her additional focus of study includes Spinning Babies and Evidence Based Birth. Heidi has also earned her Master rebozo credentials and placenta certification.
With a passion for vaginal birth after cesarean section, Heidi has supported and celebrated more than 50 clients as they reached this powerful goal. Her deepest desire is for her clients to know that they are cared for, that they can feel confident in their choices, and that they have the information they need when they need it.
Heidi married into a 4th generation Bay Area family and has resided there for the past 13 years. Together she and her husband raise their three children. When Heidi is not working, she loves spending time with her extended family, living an eco-friendly lifestyle, reading, watching BBC period dramas and doing seasonal canning.
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My name is Amelia McDonald, a happy Bay Area resident, mom of two wonderful kids and too many pets and a lover of the water. I’ve spent many years supporting families through pregnancy, birth, and the early postpartum period, and that work has deeply shaped how I approach birth education — with respect, practicality, and a belief in informed choice and embodied knowledge.
Alongside birth work, I’ve spent much of my career teaching and coaching in high-trust environments, helping people feel capable, calm, and supported as they learn new skills and navigate big moments.
When I’m not talking about births and babies, you’ll most likely find me on a pool deck coaching, teaching, or cheering my swimmers on. I’m honored to be teaching at Brilliant Births and to support expecting families as they prepare for birth with clarity, confidence, and care.
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Maureen is a mom of three who found the birth of her first child unexpectedly profound. The years following this birth and the subsequent births of her other children, Maureen found herself counseling and advising many of her friends and family members regarding their birth options and how to accomplish their own desires for an empowered birth. In 2012, Maureen decided it was time to leave her corporate job and to transition into her life's passion of supporting, encouraging and nurturing birthing people and their families through labor and birth. Maureen is DONA trained, has taken several types of birthing classes (The Bradley Method, Hypnobirthing, Loving Arms, Natural Resources, Bay Area Birth Education) and lactation training classes. In 2015, Maureen added postpartum services to her practice after seeing many of her clients struggling to find their rhythm at home. Maureen will be a forever student of prenatal, birth and postpartum learnings and will continue to bring these learnings to her families that she is supporting. Maureen's peaceful demeanor and genuine care provide families with a strong base and level of support that is heartfelt.
Frequently Asked Questions:
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Your birth partner! All our classes cover two people, so make sure to bring them along.
We also recommend something to take notes with, as this class is a lot of information at once.
We have tea and snacks in our space, but some people also like to bring their own snacks and a waterbottle.
Overall, bring your positive attitudes and curiosity! It's a day filled with information and activities.
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We have a break for lunch, don't worry! During our one-hour lunch break, you're welcome to stay in or go out.
Staying in: We have limited amounts of napkins and cutlery for you to use, though you may also bring your own. Our porches are a lovely place to eat lunch, weather permitting!
Going out: We're right in the middle of an awesome shopping street, so you have plenty of options should you wish to go out. Please note that an hour can go by quickly! We recommend keeping an eye on the time so you don't miss anything.
Our favorite recommendations: Tacubaya is excellent and has fast service, though it may be busy— they just got a Michelin mention! Oceanview Diner is great, and can be ordered online (they offer order scheduling!) for takeout and eaten in our space.
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Our classes can be taken at any time during pregnancy, however, we recommend the late second trimester or early third trimester which allows you plenty of time to immerse yourself in the information prior to birth.
We do not offer refunds if you go into labor before the series ends. We recommend taking a class early enough that that won't be an issue, whatever that looks like for you!
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For the health and safety of our students, Brilliant Births requests COVID-19 vaccination. Masks are not required but welcomed, and are provided in-studio.
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We do not offer cancellations, refunds, or exchanges for single day classes or workshops.
If your chosen date no longer works, please contact us to reschedule up to 12 hours before the class start time. An administrative fee will be charged for rescheduling a class, charged to your card on file. If rescheduling doesn’t work with your needs, you will be issued a credit towards a future class.
We aim to fill our workshops, but if there are less than two sign ups for this workshop, it may be rescheduled or cancelled. If the rescheduled date doesn't work with your needs, you will be issued a code for credit toward a future class. No monetary refunds are given.
In the case of unexpected events (including but not limited to: pandemic, fire, excessively poor air quality, or general safety concerns), the format may change from in-person classes to virtual classes if required by public health guidelines or at Brilliant Birth's discretion. No change in fee will be issued, and no refunds will be given outside of the allotted cancellation policy.
More Information
Are you interested but still have questions?
Feel free to send us an email and we will be sure to answer any questions that you may have.