Classes & Groups

Class Bundle Discount!

NEW FOR 2025: Bundle three phenomenal core prenatal classes taught at Illuminated Birth & Company and save! Signing up for Newborn Care below will automatically qualify you for a discount to both Childbirth Education (taught by Megan Peasley) and Prepared Lactation (taught by Teresa Coyle-Airey).

Register and pay in full for any of the three classes, and you will receive a discount code to use while registering for the other two classes!

Classes & Groups

Jen has been teaching for as long as she can remember. Whether standing in front of a room of martial artists, researchers, peers, or families, Jen enjoys them all and facilitates learning with ease. Her classes are as memorable as they are informative and funny.

Workshops may be offered virtually and/or hybrid, so you and your friends around the country can attend together if you'd like! Register using the links below or get in touch for more details. Payment accepted via Venmo, or arrange with Jen if you prefer to pay cash/check. Cost should never be a barrier to information, however; contact Jen to discuss a sliding scale.

Most classes are being offered at Illuminated Birth & Company's in-person location in Acton, MA. This beautiful space hosts all sorts of expectant and new family education and groups, led by a range of perinatal professionals. Free parking is available in the adjacent parking lot, some covered in the case of inclement weather, and it's conveniently located in Villageworks, at the heart of West Acton, where there's a coffee shop, a brewery, an ice cream shop, and a playground across the street, so kids of all ages can enjoy! I can't wait to see you there!

GROUPS

Postpartum Group

Make new parent friends, talk about everything baby, and ask all your questions in a group facilitated by me, but designed by you! At the first session, we'll get to know each other and determine the focus of each of the next meetings. This six-session group meets on Wednesday mornings, 9:30am-11:00am, at Illuminated Birth. The next cohort begins 23 April 2025 so register ASAP!

Get more information and register at the Illuminated Birth website, here.

*This group is ideal for new parents and their babies who are ~3 months or less at the start of the series.

CLASSES

Next sessions:

When:

🪻Sun, 9 Mar 2025; 1-4pm

🪻Sun, 27 Apr 2025; 1-4pm

🪻Sun, 18 May 2025; 1-4pm

🪻Sun, 15 June 2025; 1-4pm

Where:
Illuminated Birth & Co.,
525 Mass Ave., Ste. A
Acton, MA 01720

Newborn Care

Learn what to expect with a newborn! Using the touchstones of ABC - Appearance, Behavior, and Care - we cover all the basics, along with oodles of tips and tricks for ensuring a successful "fourth trimester". This is a fast-paced class, taught with humor, that touches on many topics that could themselves be entire classes. It is based on years of postpartum experience with new families and designed to provide reassurance and guidance for those families who may not have much experience with babies.

NOTE: This workshop is best for expectant families to attend in the third trimester. Grandparents can benefit from this workshop as well, since current thinking based on evidence-based practice is presented.

Still debating? See the glowing reviews below!

NEWBORN CARE REGISTRATION

Next sessions:

When:

🪻Sun, 27 Apr 2025; 10a-12p

🪻Sun, 18 May 2025; 10a-12p

🪻Sun, 15 June 2025; 10a-12p

Where:
Illuminated Birth & Co.,
525 Mass Ave., Ste. A
Acton, MA 01720

Intro to Babywearing

Babywearing has been practiced by families around the world for millennia. Learn why this tool is so important for both babies and caregivers, and discover the pros and cons of all the carrier styles. Although you need not have a carrier to attend as Jen will have a selection to try, please feel free to bring any you already have.

NOTE: This workshop is best for expectant families and/or those with babies under the age of 3 months. Nannies welcome. Families with older babies may find a Babywearing Consult more useful.

BABYWEARING REGISTRATION

Next sessions:

When:

🪻Sat, 8 March 2025; 2:30-3:30pm

🪻Other 2025 dates by request! In the meantime, please consider a "housecall" car seat check instead.

Where:
Illuminated Birth & Co.,
525 Mass Ave., Ste. A
Acton, MA 01720

Car Seat Use & Safety

Ensure you know how to use your car seat safely and that it is installed properly. This workshop begins with a half hour info session discussing standards and best practices with your car seat, as well as common errors. We'll go into detail about how to use the seats, including how to fit it to your little one and how to adjust it as your child grows, whether it's an infant rear-facing bucket seat, a convertible seat, or a combination booster. Then, head out to the parking lot and verify that your car seats are installed correctly and securely in your vehicle under the careful eye of a CPST. Installation after the info session usually takes approximately 5-10 minutes per seat. This class is perfect for expectant families and useful for families with children of any age in a car seat or booster (8-10 years old).

NOTE: For more information on the importance of car seat safety, or to schedule a personal housecall car seat appointment, please click here. The registration below is for a group class.

CAR SEAT REGISTRATION

Next sessions:

When:

🪻2025 dates by request

🪻Please get in touch if interested so we accommodate your schedule!

Where:
Illuminated Birth & Co.,
525 Mass Ave., Ste. A
Acton, MA 01720

Birthworkers' Series

Jen is thrilled to share her expertise with others in the field, enabling other perinatal professionals to increase their knowledge and ability to support clients of their own. The goal of these sessions is to enable the professional to feel confident in their knowledge of the basics about a range of topics so that they can best help expectant and new families who frequently have questions in these same realms (e.g., babywearing and hip dysplasia; how to confirm a baby is being worn snugly enough; how to properly tighten a car seat harness; chest clip positioning; dressing baby safely for car seat use; and more!)

Currently, sessions are scheduled based on interest. Please allow 30-60 minutes for car seats and/or 1.5-2 hours for babywearing. Participants are welcome to register for one or both segments. Let me know if you wish to do both car seats and babywearing on the same date.

BIRTHWORKER REGISTRATION

Class Notes!

Newborn Care:

"The class helped put my mind at ease. Learning what to expect and examples of normal vs. not normal. The class also provided examples and solutions for handling different situations. We found this especially useful when talking about sleeping arrangements and taking sleep shifts to help maintain a healthy sleep balance." - Katie G. (2024)

"Jen was amazing!! She was so knowledgeable and also put us immediately at ease (over video chat, which is not always easy to do). She walked us through a lot of really practical guidance on newborn care and what to expect, and even went over time with us to make sure we covered everything. Would 1000% recommend this class to anyone getting ready to have their first kid." - Liza K. (2024)

"We had a great class with Jen about newborns. It was a private class and she came to our home because of some scheduling conflicts, which we totally appreciated! The class was very informative, and she answered all of our questions. It was like drinking from a firehose -- I hope we remember the important stuff once our baby arrives! I highly recommend this service. She even looked over our car seat for us and gave us some good advice and tips about it as well." - Hannah L. (2024)

"Jen is an excellent educator! Her experience and honesty shines through while she teaches, and I felt engaged the entire session. This is my husband's and my first baby, and we had felt well-equipped for labor, but had forgotten to prep for what happens once we bring our baby home. Jen's Newborn Care class left us feeling much better prepared and excited about the reality of living with and caring for a newborn. Jen's class is comprehensive and supportive: she helped us feel really excited about this new chapter while also not pretending that caring for an infant won't be challenging sometimes. She did a great job of offering some examples of what to expect for the birthing person, their partner, and the newborn in the postpartum period. After completing the class, we feel ready and open to the challenge, with knowledge of where to seek additional support as needed." - Emily H. (2024)

"Jen presented the information in a clear, easy-to-understand format. She took the time to thoughtfully answer our questions to make sure we felt totally comfortable prepared." - Alana B. (2024)

"The Newborn Care was our first class, and both me and hubby were astonished with tons of valid information. It is a lot to process, but Jen makes it fun, comprehensive and clear. Specially if you’re a 1st time parent or never had contact with a baby before (or like me had a looong time ago with my siblings) I strongly recommend the class. Having the knowledge is very helpful in setting realistic expectations and it worked wonderfully for us." - Markelli L. (2023)

Intro to Babywearing:

"We took both the Newborn Care as well as Babywearing and we found the content super helpful as we move forward into parenthood. Jen's tips and tricks are above and beyond what you can find in a Google search. It is fantastic to have an in-person resource with so much experience with newborns!" - Stacey O. (2024)

"Jen is super dedicated in everything she does! We had attended newborn class before baby born and now we came back to understand better how it works for wearing her! Amazing class, fun, informative, practical." - Markelli L. (2024)

A little of everything...:

"We worked with Jen for a car seat installation session, a newborn education class, and a babywearing intro. All of these were incredibly helpful! Jen comes off as the knowledgeable older sibling who can put you at ease without drowning you in information or being overwhelming. With each of these interactions, we developed the confidence we needed to take care of our baby (and an understanding of when to ask for help or look for additional guidance)." - Anonymous (2024)

Birthworker Sessions:

"I am so glad that I took this babywearing for birthworkers class with Jen! She was so knowledgeable and made me feel so much at ease and confident in my ability to baby wear and help my clients with babywearing. She was fun to learn from and she clearly brought a depth of wisdom in the subject. I am so glad I took this class and I definitely recommend it to any birthworkers who are looking to learn more about babywearing." - Jacqueline L. (2024)

"I absolutely loved taking Jen's babywearing and car seat safety class for birth workers! She is so full of knowledge, and learning from her has given me so much confidence. I am so excited to take what I learned with me throughout my practice. [Within days of the class], a client of mine was so happy with the way I taught her to wear her baby. It felt good on her back and she felt so confident and comfortable, I was so happy for her! I'm so excited having this new skill!" - Becca C. (2023)

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