Birthing a New Humanity Educational Center opened this month in Kilauea in the former Kula High School. Founded by Kaua‘i midwife Sunny Karll, the school offers classes and services designed to support couples considering conception, expectant couples, new parents, their
Birthing a New Humanity Educational Center opened this month in Kilauea in the former Kula High School. Founded by Kaua‘i midwife Sunny Karll, the school offers classes and services designed to support couples considering conception, expectant couples, new parents, their friends and family members.
Classes include childbirth preparation for parents, infant massage and doula training. A doula is a birth assistant who supports the family before, during and after the birth. The doula certification class is 12 weeks. For a current class schedule visit sacredbirthing.com.
“Historically there were women in communities as the resource for birth questions,” said Barbara Essman, childbirth educator and one of the center’s three teachers. “It’s about being present. Most important is that the mother is in the presence of a loving woman.”
Programs and services include in-house and community-out-reach programs. The center is comprised of childbirth educators, doulas, health-care practitioners and educators with birth-related expertise. The mission of the center is to offer support to parents and bring babies into the world trauma free.
“The more parents are supported in the birth process the more babies can come into the world smiling,” said co-director of the school Rose Scherschel. “This is about providing education and to show that there are possibilities outside of the medical model.”
Newly certified doula Sharon Gonsalves recently completed doula training.
“I met the mom at seven months pregnant and attended a child birthing class with the couple,” she said.
Last week her family gave birth at Waimea Medical Center where Gonsalves said she felt warmly received by medical professionals.
“The ideal is to have doulas everywhere,” said Scherschel.
Scherschel said she receives phone calls daily about services the center provides. The ideal for her would be to have many women trained as a doulas to offer support to families during this stressful transition.
“Birth trauma can be carried into a lifetime so by understanding that it happens, we can heal these traumas at birth,” said childbirth educator and hypnotherapist, Ronda Rice. “Birth is an initiation of the parents where the man is being initiated into fatherhood and the woman, motherhood. Sacred birthing is about bringing consciousness to the birth.”
The idea for an educational center was born of the intent to host a global sacred birthing symposium that would bring couples to Kaua‘i. The center was a natural first step. To learn more attend the center’s Open House from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 14; visit sacredbirthing.com or call 828-0504.
The center is part of the Sacred Birthing Foundation, 501c3.
