ONLINE BIRTH CLASS · SELF-PACED
An online birth class for the whole experience of birth
Nona Mindful Birth: evidence-based childbirth education from a licensed perinatal therapist.
Prepare for birth at home, in a hospital, or in a birth center. You will learn practical mind-body coping tools for labor, and your partner will learn how to support you. Recommended by midwives, physicians, and OBGYNs for over 25 years.
The class at a glance
Most hospital-based classes are designed to prepare you for hospital protocol, not for the experience of giving birth.
At Nona, we do things differently. Our childbirth education is evidence-based, inclusive, and grounded in real-world experience.
Understanding how the mind influences the body, and how the body shapes mental and emotional states, is essential in labor. This knowledge can directly impact how labor progresses and how you experience it.
You will learn practical, evidence-based coping strategies grounded in neurophysiology, and partners will gain tools for providing meaningful, responsive support. The course is also honest about the realities of the birth system: how policies, provider interactions, and systemic issues can affect birth experiences, and how to maintain your sense of agency throughout.
A NOTE ON BIRTH COHERENCE™
Nona Birth Coherence™, my newer framework integrating nervous system science, is currently in development. The Nona Mindful Birth course reflects my original comprehensive childbirth education curriculum. The core physiology, coping tools, and preparation content remain fully relevant and widely used by families preparing for birth.
You may notice that the course materials still carry Nona's earlier branding and colors. They will be refreshed along with the new Birth Coherence™ content.
ERICA KROLL, LPC
What you will learn
Our curriculum combines practical skills, emotional insight, and physiological understanding to fully prepare you for the experience of birth, wherever and however it unfolds.
Mind-body strategies for labor and birth
- Coping tools for during and between contractions
- Managing fear, anxiety, and intensity
- Understanding and supporting the neurohormonal physiology of birth
- Conceptualizing labor pain through a mind-body lens
Communication, advocacy, and decision-making
- How to create a birth plan that staff will read and respect
- Effective communication with care providers
- Navigating hospital protocols and staff interactions
- Understanding evidence-based care vs. routine practice
- Making informed decisions about interventions and pain relief
What to expect in labor and birth
- Phases and stages of labor
- Positions and movement for labor and birth
- Understanding the pushing stage
- When to consider an epidural (if desired)
- Medical and natural pain relief options
- Cesarean, induction, epidural, and unmedicated birth approaches
Partners learn labor support
- Concrete labor support skills for partners
- How to co-regulate and stay grounded during birth
- Tools for being emotionally and physically present in labor
Beyond birth: postpartum recovery and adjustment
- Emotional and physical recovery after childbirth
- Early parenting and the psychology of the transition
- Choosing a provider and understanding models of care
From parents
“The six week birth education class was amazing. I repeated things I learned in that class to myself throughout my pregnancy, labor and recovery. Erica also has excellent clinical skills, a down to Earth personality and an ability to help you see things from a different point of view.”
Jessica T.
Proud to be recommended by midwives, physicians, and OBGYNs for over 25 years.
Taught by a licensed perinatal therapist
Erica Kroll, LPC is a licensed professional counselor specializing in perinatal mental health, a DONA-trained doula, and an E-RYT and RPYT yoga teacher. She has taught mind-body birth education and supported families through birth for over 25 years.
The Nona Mindful Birth course brings her clinical understanding of the nervous system and her decades in the birth room into one preparation for parents. More about Erica
Register for the course
Enrollment is open. Register any time and move through the course at your own pace.
- Complete self-paced childbirth education curriculum
- Mind-body coping tools for labor and birth
- Labor support skills for partners
- Postpartum recovery and early parenting preparation
Common questions
Is this birth class online?
Yes. Nona Mindful Birth is a fully online childbirth education course. You can complete it at your own pace from anywhere, on the schedule that works for you.
How much does the birth class cost?
Tuition is $195. This includes the complete Nona Mindful Birth curriculum: coping tools for labor, communication and advocacy skills, preparation for birth and postpartum, and labor support training for partners.
Who is the class for?
Expecting parents at any stage of pregnancy, together with their partners. Parents find the class helpful across a wide range of birth experiences, and it is especially valuable for those hoping for a low-intervention or unmedicated hospital birth.
Does the class cover different types of birth?
Yes. The curriculum prepares you for birth at home, in a hospital, or in a birth center. It covers cesarean birth, induction, epidurals, and unmedicated approaches, so you are prepared however your birth unfolds.
What will my partner learn?
Partners learn concrete labor support skills: how to co-regulate and stay grounded during birth, and how to be emotionally and physically present in labor.
What is Birth Coherence™ and is it part of this course?
Birth Coherence™ is Nona's newer framework integrating nervous system science, and it is currently in development. The Nona Mindful Birth course reflects the original comprehensive Nona curriculum. The core physiology, coping tools, and preparation content remain fully relevant and widely used by families preparing for birth. Learn more about Birth Coherence™.
Who teaches the course?
Erica Kroll, LPC: a licensed professional counselor specializing in perinatal mental health, a DONA-trained doula, and a mind-body birth educator with over 25 years of experience supporting families.
NONA MINDFUL BIRTH
Prepare your mind and body for birth
Online and self-paced · $195 · Registration is open
Expecting in mid-Missouri? Pair the course with Nona® Prenatal Yoga & Support.
