In general, I would not recommend this class to expecting parents who are not already affiliated with the church group that puts it on. The instructors seem very nice and likeable, and I don't mean to attack them personally, but the class is a major time commitment, and I feel compelled to share some of my concerns. First, the positives. The instructors are charismatic, and the pastor who leads it has a wonderful speaking voice. I honestly think she'd be fun to hang out with. The class includes useful instruction regarding techniques for labor, massage, writing a birth plan, etc. A lot of the stuff you're there for is somewhere in the class, so if you are willing to sit through it, you may get a lot of the information you came for in terms of feeling more prepared for your actual birth. Next, my concerns. (1) This class has a moderate to strong ideological tone and slant, especially re vaccines. You might be thinking, "well what did you expect from a free class from a group called Birth Believers?" It was honestly a bit more concerning than I had expected. A recurring theme of the class is: "your doctor is going to tell you X, but you shouldn't trust them, and in fact, you should probably do Y or even Z." The instructors will present this as them just providing you with information, but the presentation is not value neutral. You are meant to come away feeling suspicious of doctors and hospitals and favoring "natural" methods. For instance, they'll show you a 25-30 year old graphic video of how babies are traumatized during hospital births and contrast it with a video of an uncomplicated natural birth. Our experience with this was that it just contributed to our stress. One could say that this class presents a lot of their information using scare tactics and negativity. The most alarming example of this was their section on whether pregnant mothers should receive the COVID vaccine. This came up twice - in the first and fourth sessions. In the first session, the message was essentially, "there's no way to really know whether it's safe." I thought this was beyond the instructor's expertise, but I didn't really have a problem with the way she presented it. But in the fourth session, the pastor brought up the CDC's most recent guidance (that pregnant women should get the COVID vaccine) and although she faithfully conveyed the CDC's recommendation, she immediately undermined it by (in my opinion) grossly misrepresenting the study that underpinned the guidance. Audience members were reacting with outrage toward the CDC based on her representation of the data. This was infuriating and, frankly, irresponsible. It's one thing to say "we don't know," but this time, she may have been presenting data incorrectly and strongly implying that we should draw certain conclusions about the impact of the vaccine on rates of miscarriage and other events. The conclusions she was pointing to were, in my opinion, not at all supported by the data. I say irresponsible because a pastor has positioned themselves in a role of power and trust relative to students and congregants, and I suspect there are people who may not get vaccinated now because their view on vaccines is downstream of their decision to trust this pastor who has no expertise in that area. My broader point is that the instructors have an ideological agenda that goes beyond birthing and it gets in the way of what the class is supposed to be about. (2) This class is very long and does not use time efficiently. There are lots and lots of product recommendations and anecdotes in each session, and I am convinced that each session could have been 1/3 as long if it were tightened up. One of the teachers, who is very nice, told the birth story for each of her six kids. They were all very different, they were all interesting, but they were not useful to tired, working pregnant people on a Monday night at 8:30pm. Conclusion: If you're a secular person planning for a hospital birth, this class is probably not for you. This is a religious organization with an agenda beyond the nuts and bolts of birthing, and your time may be better spent with a paid class put on by the hospital where you're planning to give birth or some other organization in line with your values. If you're a religious person familiar with the ideology of this church, you may feel very comfortable in this space and this class. I would encourage you to consider alternative viewpoints regarding matters that seem beyond the instructors' expertise. read more

Birth Believers is a group that provides Childbirth Education, Doula Services, and Placenta Encapsulation. I don't know if you follow me / are friends with me on Yelp, or if you are just happening to see this review through looking up Birth Believers...either way, I want to make this clear: Never, in all of my years yelping, being Yelp Elite, and writing reviews, have I ever felt THIS strongly about a review, and about a recommendation. I 100% recommend this doula service. Every single fiber of my being is me telling you: Hire a doula from Birth Believers. Let's start off with some backstory: When I first became pregnant, one of my friends told that me that her biggest regret was NOT having a doula. I honestly thought she was crazy, or just had an unsupportive partner. "Well," I thought to myself, "MY husband is wonderful, and he will help me. We don't need to pay extra money on top of all these other new kid expenses!" I was just silly. Sigh. As I researched and learned more and more about the birth I wanted to have (medication free, natural, hypnobirthing) I kept seeing a theme--many women in my mom groups had traumatic birth experiences because of the medical professionals and interventions that they were forced to have. So many women in my groups were sharing horror stories, sharing success stories, and giving advice, and a resounding suggestion was--HIRE A DOULA. As I got closer and closer to my due date, I started really wanting a doula. Enter Yelp. Yelp offered us tickets to the Baby Expo, and my husband and I jumped at the chance to go! We wanted to get ideas, get more information, and just be more prepared. As we were walking the stalls of vendors and services, a friendly lady with a black Birth Believers shirt stopped me and asked if I wanted a foot massage. I sat and was quickly introduced to Melani. To make a long story short, we chatted, she massaged, and we really connected. We discussed birth, and what my plans for birth were. She encouraged me to enter the drawing for a free doula, which would be her (Melani), as well as enter the drawing for placenta encapsulation, to be done by Mari. After meeting Melani of Birth Believers, having great discussions, and thinking deeply about what we wanted for the birth of our firstborn, my husband and I decided to start saving up and budgeting to hire her. It is a professional service, so there is a cost to it--but the cost is definitely worthwhile. (We had originally wanted to get a doula and placenta encapsulation, but decided that we couldn't budget for both.) However, the same day that we made our decision, that night I received a text from Melani, informing me that I'd won the Baby Expo doula drawing, and that I'd be receiving doula services from Melani for free! She jumped right in to help me--she also invited me to church, and to meet after. We discussed expectations for the birth, and ways that I could make things smoother for myself (good stretches, nutrition, etc.) Throughout the weeks leading up to my birth, we met multiple times, she came by my house, went walking with me, and was always accessible. If I had a question about doctor's visits, nutrition, or pregnancy pains, she was always a text away. Melani was EXTREMELY accessible, and it made me feel so comforted to have someone I could ask questions to whenever I needed. She helped to review my birth plan, and made sure I knew what to expect in so many different ways. She was always there to give me advice, help, and to calm my fears. During labor, she helped beyond belief. She applied pressure through my contractions (which feels amazing, and is worth hiring her just for that!), talked me through labor, and encouraged me. I was a little worried that having her there would make my husband feel uninvolved, but he 100% was part of the birth process--and he LOVED HER! He agrees that she is worth her weight in gold-he has been telling all of his friends and family how she helped him to feel more comfortable, to know what to do to help me (she taught him hip squeezes and other techniques), and how having her there really made him feel more confident through the birth process, as a first time father. Melani really helped me before birth, through birth, and after. If you are considering doula services through Birth Believers, I STRONGLY recommend that you choose to do it. We also did the Placenta Encapsulation--I will try to update this review later to reflect what I've experienced with my placenta pills, but so far, I'm impressed! I really wish that I'd known these lovely ladies sooner, so I could have attended their free childbirth education classes. I'll definitely go next time we are expecting! If Melani is any indicator, I bet I'd get more out of these classes than the two sets I paid for through Kaiser. In summary, get a doula. Just get a freaking doula! Birth Believers is just awesome!!! I can't recommend them enough! read more

I had a 48+ hour labor. During this time, Rebekah was not there for me for one contraction--(while she was provided well advanced notice). Upon my admission to the hospital, I texted her an update, then my husband filled her in afterwards. We had big hopes to work with Rebekah however most of her recommendations were information that I could've just "Googled" myself, looked up on social media, YouTube or ask my sister. She didn't provide one-on-one support, ; it's all cookie-cutter. I am writing this review several months after delivery so there are no emotions attached here; this review is simply to advise everyone to save their money, especially if you have plans to labor in the hospital. Please hire someone else to be your doula. Learn from my lesson. We believe Rebekah had ZERO intentions of showing up to the hospital for us-- one of our nurses asked me, "Where is your doula?" ; well she stayed home, went to bed & never showed up (but still took our money). When I was at 7cm, she told my husband to call her back when I "reach 10cm." Can I just say that a really great auto-mechanic does not say "Call me when your car breaks down" for proper maintenance; maybe a really horrible one would say that. This was not cool! We were brushed off, and she did not follow up the next day to check-in with my husband whatsoever. We think she made the excuse of having medical staff to take care of us, in order not to show up; it just seemed as though she made no effort during my toughest hours and did not care, nor express any compassion. I wanted to give Rebekah the benefit of the doubt, as I was previously told she's "amazing" by a referral. However, be careful, she puts up a façade. She did not touch base to see how I'm doing, how baby is doing etc. Not once during my postpartum phase. She ghosted us. In the end, we had a conversation & I asked her for a partial refund which we did not get :( otherwise I would give more stars (again giving the benefit of the doubt). Instead I got a placenta art print from her which does not rectify the situation. We wasted our money by hiring her. Overall, I agree with Kalbi's review about ideologies, which you will have to learn to ignore... absolutely take the class to stay educated on having a "voice" for yourself, and hire doula support elsewhere, find someone who enjoys being of service to you who shows up & can offer a stress-free experience; not add to it. Thanks for reading my review, best wishes to all the wonderful mamas out there!! read more

Birth believers is such an amazing class! You are surrounded by a wonderful community of Doula's, midwives, and other expectant parents. Through the completion of this class my husband and I felt educated, confident, and had no fears about childbirth. (Even though birth has always been scary in my mind) Because of this class I decided I wanted an unmedicated birth in the comfort of my own home, and that's what we got. I'm so glad we went that route because it was so peaceful and intimate. Pastor Mari, Rebekah, and Dr. Lori Kimata were present at the birth and supported us from the moment we joined the class up until 6 weeks after our son was born. I would love to take the class again to re-absorb the information for our second (in the future). Thank you Birth believers for empowering us as parents and for the community that you've created through this class. read more

This is an awesome resource for pregnant women looking to learn more about pregnancy and birth. It is a class series offered as a ministry by The Ark church and staffed by doulas and midwives. I first heard about them at the baby expo when I was pregnant. They were passing out their amazing lactation cookies and giving massages to ladies passing by. There they told me about their class series and what it covered. From early pregnancy through birth and even post pardum, it seemed like these classes would save me a ton of money on birthing classes I wanted to attend. Not to mention they offered free dinner and dessert during their classes for attending couples. So what's the catch? Well there isn't really one, just some things to be aware of. The location is in kaneohe. That may not be bad to some, but hurrying over at rush hour time in the evenings, then staying till 10:00 pm or longer was hard on this prego townie. Also, take these classes with a grain of salt. It's meant to inform you on the options for you to make your own informed birth decisions, but they really push the natural agenda. I'm not saying natural is bad, in fact due to these ladies I had every intention of going natural. But the methods and medicines that they tell you about that hospitals and OBs use scare you into thinking it will be traumatic and dangerous for your baby. I ended up medically needing many of the interventions they warned about, and was terrified about needing them, but it turns out, the hospital, drs and nurses were very supportive and helpful despite what I was led to expect from birth believers. In the end your birth story will probably not go as planned, but as long as you and your baby are safe, that is what matters. So if you attend these classes, don't let them scare you. All that aside, you do learn a lot, meet other pregnant couples and make friends, and one night they even brought bins stuffed with cute hand me down clothes to rummage through. If you're expecting, I would say check it out! read more

Expecting a baby? I highly recommend taking the Trust Birth class (it's free)! It is the best class for expecting families because it covers all the birthing options available. Have questions about c-sections, induction of labor, or even home birth? The birth workers here have so much information and experience and are willing/happy to answer your questions. I have taken the Trust Birth class 4 times (each time I have been pregnant) and each time I have had the birth that I desired. Granted, I didn't have full control over how the birth went, but rather than having things happen to me, I had a voice and my husband and I had choices! read more