Preparing for Baby Series
For More InformationDue to COVID-19 restrictions, in-person classes and tours are cancelled until further notice. See below for information about online classes. Please visit our COVID-19 section for updates.
Prepare for your growing family with instruction from Duke Health nurses who specialize in labor and delivery and caring for your new baby. Our two-hour classes cover a variety of topics for expectant parents and caregivers to teach you about all aspects of birth and caring for your baby.
When in-person classes resume, each costs $20 and requires registration in advance. Special consideration will be given if you have financial hardship. Classes take place at Duke Regional Hospital.
With classes postponed until further notice due to COVID-19, you can view some pre-recorded Preparing for Baby classes online. Email jacqueline.c.lawrence@duke.edu for details.
Classes on Birth and Newborn Care
Boot Camp for Partners and Coaches
Designed specifically for a partner or labor coach -- pregnant partners do not attend. You’ll learn how you can assist physically and emotionally during the birthing experience.
Preparing for Labor (available in English and Spanish)
Increase your confidence and reduce anxiety about the birthing process. Learn what happens to the body during labor, and what to expect while delivering at Duke University Hospital or Duke Regional Hospital. Elements for a natural or medicated birth will be discussed.
Preparing for Cesarean Birth
If you’re planning or want to learn more about a cesarean (C-section), this class covers preoperative preparation. We’ll walk you through what may be different about checking into the hospital and offer a step-by-step guide of what happens in the operating room, as well as recovery.
Preparing for Postpartum and Newborn Care
You’ll receive hands-on instruction for the basics of newborn care, including feeding, diapering, bathing, and safety. You’ll leave with handouts to help you at home.
Preparing for Breastfeeding
Learn basic breastfeeding principles and techniques for the newborn period.
Expressed: All About Pumping
Learn about providing breast milk for your baby during prolonged absences, like when you go back to work. We’ll teach the basics of pumping schedules, breast milk storage, and how to manage your supply of breast milk. Breast pumps and accessories will be available for on-site practice if you don’t have your own.
Lamaze Prepared Child Birth Education (two-day workshop)
We offer this series on weekends. It covers much of the same information in our other classes, but in a two-day seminar. Get an in-depth review of the stages of labor, pain management options, coaching techniques, breathing and relaxation methods, as well as information about cesarean section.
The Lamaze class is recommended for women between 30 and 34 weeks of pregnancy, and we accept registrations starting at your 20-week mark. The class costs $90 per couple and is led by a certified perinatal Lamaze childbirth educator and certified nurse midwife.
Tour Our Birthing Centers
Birthing Center tours have been cancelled until further notice due to COVID-19 precautions.
When you’re ready to familiarize yourself with our birthing centers, you can join our free tours of the Duke University Hospital Birthing Center and The Birth Place at Duke Regional Hospital.
Free Community Sessions
Baby Bistro
All parents are welcome to relax, ask questions, and bond during this virtual gathering. A certified nurse midwife or International Board of Lactation consultant will answer questions and offer support about feeding your baby. This drop-in group meets online from 11:00 am to noon every Tuesday. Email Jacqueline.C.Lawrence@duke.edu for log-in information.
Car Seat Checks
Car seat appointments have been cancelled until further notice due to COVID-19 precautions.
Expecting and new parents can have their car seat inspected by a Duke nurse certified as a Child Passenger Safety Technician. Weekly checks are held Wednesdays from 9 am to noon at Durham County EMS Station 6 at 226 Milton Road. An appointment is required, and you can schedule one online. Additional appointments can be made for 1 to 4 pm on occasional Wednesday afternoons by emailing Jacqueline.C.Lawrence@duke.edu or by signing up at the “Preparing for Postpartum and Newborn Care” class.
In addition, Duke University Hospital is proud to be named the best hospital in North Carolina, and nationally ranked in 10 adult and 9 pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report for 2019–2020.