What do YOU need to know to give birth?
There are three kinds of knowing to birth from within. The first and most basic is the intuitive knowing in your bones or innate maternal instinct. The second kind of knowing is modern knowing—being savvy about birth culture and the wide range of birth choices that exist today. The third kind of knowing is knowing yourself.
Birthing From Within® Childbirth Preparation classes offers you a soulful and holistic approach to birth preparation that integrates all three kinds of knowing. Childbirth is a profound rite of passage, and we believe the essence of childbirth preparation is self-discovery and parent preparation, not assimilating obstetric information. Our classes prepare you to birth-in-awareness for whatever kind of birth you are planning for. The dynamic course content is tailored to meet the specific and individual needs of parents and includes practical information about labor and birth, pain-coping practices, birth art, music, storytelling, and celebration.
Birthing From Within classes are offered in a small group setting, with a maximum of 8 couples per course. Please wear comfortable clothes in which you can move.
For more information on this class click here.
When: Birthing From Within is taught in a 12-hour weekend intensive over two days - consecutive Saturdays and Sundays. This is part 1 of 2 of Birthing from Within. You should register for both dates in the series. View the calendar for part 2, the following day, or refer to the schedule below. We recommend you take this class between 24-36 weeks of pregnancy.
Where: The Midwife Center, 2831 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15222.
Cost: $300
Instructor: Cortney Seltman or Courtney Williams
Registration: Download the registration form (purple button above) or call The Midwife Center, Front Office at 412.321.6880
2025 Schedule
| In-Person Class Sat/Sun 10am-4pm |
| January 25 & 26, 10am-4pm |
| March 22 & 23, 10am-4pm |
| June 7 & 8, 10am-4pm |
| August 2 & 3, 10am-4pm |
| September 20 & 21, 10am-4pm |
| November 22 & 23, 10am-4pm |
About Cortney Seltman
Cortney Seltman is a mother of three, a Birthing From Within® Mentor, Birth Arts trained doula, and yoga teacher. She completed her 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training with Lisa Clark of EmbodiYoga. In 2011, she co-founded the first Yoga in Action group in Pittsburgh with Off the Mat, Into the World®. She holds a BA from Brown University and an MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from IUP. She is a PA Licensed Professional Counselor and completed clinical training focused on perinatal and reproductive health and wellness at Forward Wellness Reproductive Counseling Center and The Midwife Center for Birth & Women's Health. She is happiest in the garden, the woods or at the ocean, surrounded by family and friends, with strong coffee or chocolate and tasty snacks.
About Courtney Williams
Courtney Palmer Williams is a birth doula and Birthing From Within mentor who has had the joy of supporting families in the Pittsburgh area since 2005. Her perspective and approach are informed by her academic studies in medical anthropology and public health, her work in somatics and mindfulness, her experiences supporting a diverse spectrum of birthing families in various birthing environments, her practices as an artist and educator, and her own journey as a mother of three. She is passionate about facilitating spaces where birth preparation is rooted in personal inquiry and artistic expression and in communal support and celebration. She lives on the northside of Pittsburgh with her husband and her three children.
Note: Class curriculums are geared to out-of-hospital birth at our birth center. If you are not a client of The Midwife Center, you may register for our classes one week in advance if there are extra spots. Please call our Front Office no more than one week prior to the class you would like to register for.