Education and tools to help you feel prepared.

From Seed to Sprout

From Seed to Sprout is Lara’s signature comprehensive childbirth and postpartum preparation class given either virtually or in your home. You will leave the classes with a wealth of information and resources, feeling ready to take the next step into your journey of parenthood.

Lara is a queer non-binary birthworker and is committed to using gender neutral language throughout all of their classes.

  • Sign up is currently paused

    Virtual childbirth and postpartum preparation class for queer and trans individuals and families, facilitated by queer full-spectrum doula Lara. 

    In these classes, Hamilton based full spectrum doula Lara Esrey will facilitate learning surrounding pregnancy, birth, and postpartum; from seed to sprout. In addition to the standard knowledge that you would expect to find in a childbirth education class, Lara spends a lot of time discussing postpartum, and it is such an important element! Participants will leave the class feeling prepared to birth their babies and enter the postpartum period, having learned concrete skills and tools in a warm and welcoming environment. In addition to the live classes, students will have access to: 

    • A comprehensive manual designed to accompany our live classes 

    • A curated resource list 

    • Helpful lists, such as a sample hospital packing list

    • Access to Lara via email and text message for questions 

    • Access to an exclusive discount on Lara’s doula services 

    Each week our live classes will follow a specific theme, with suggested “homework” if you want to stay immersed in the material throughout the week. 

    Week 1: Pregnancy, Care Options, and Preparing for Birth  

    Week 2: Stages of Labour, Comfort Measures and Coping Techniques

    Week 3: Potential Interventions, Partner Support, and Immediate Postpartum 

    Week 4: Postpartum, Infant Feeding and Care 

    This course is currently priced at $250 +tx. If cost is prohibitive, don’t hesitate to reach out. Payment plans are available and I reserve a certain number of low-cost spots.

    Scroll down to the bottom of this page to sign up!

  • Private classes are given either virtually or in your home (available for folks in Hamilton, ON and surrounding areas). Private classes are fully customizable to meet your needs, we can spend less or more time on specific topics to ensure that you feel informed and confident going into your birth and postpartum experiences.

    In addition to the live classes, students will have access to: 

    • A comprehensive manual designed to accompany our live classes 

    • A curated resource list 

    • Helpful lists, such as a sample hospital packing list

    • Access to Lara via email and text message for questions 

    • Access to an exclusive discount on Lara’s doula services 

    Topics that can be covered typically fall into the following categories: preparing for birth, birth plans, the physiology of labour, stages of labour, comfort measures, pain management, potential interventions, postpartum recovery, newborn care, infant feeding, and more. Click here for a “menu” of topics. Please contact me or book a free consultation to express interest and find out more!

    Classes are typically priced at $350 +tx. Sliding scale available, and price may vary based on your needs.

  • In these sessions, we will work with your preferences to create a plan that works for you and your family. This might be a birth “plan” (I prefer to use the term birth preferences, and to help you plan and prepare for whatever may happen) or a plan for postpartum and the early days with your baby, or some combination of these.

    Prices starting at $40. Contact me for individualized rates.

What People Are Saying

  • We cannot thank Lara enough for their informative, engaging, well-researched, clearly communicative and thoroughly enjoyable CBE course, "From Seed to Sprout". The tools, discussions, and resources shared and explored throughout this course helped us enter our labour and birth experience informed, and allowed us to make decisions that best suited our needs and preferences. We would highly recommend spending this time with Lara while emotionally / physically / cognitively preparing for the wild ride of birth!

    S.H.H.

  • Lara has given us so much valuable information. You can tell that they really know that they are explaining to you and will find extra resources to compliment your specific situation. We are an AFAB queer couple who are planning on inducing lactation in one partner. Having a safe, supportive place to ask detailed questions has been so incredibly helpful. All of their teachings were gender inclusive which is so hard to find when all aspects of pregnancy are usually cis- and heteronormative. I cannot stress enough that this is the only course you will ever need! We wish we lived closer so we could have Lara as our labor doula.

    Tayden

  • Lara’s way of educating/facilitating is wonderful and well rounded. From Seed to Sprout is centered around inclusion, informed decision making, and provides time for reflection, mindfulness, and planning. It’s also a huge bonus that the meetings happen online! I truly enjoyed it and definitely recommend whether you’re a first time parent, support person or have multiple kiddos.

    Chyanne B.

  • My partner and I were pretty nervous starting our journey as first time parents, but we're so grateful we had the chance to work with Lara for the prenatal classes! They made us feel at ease immediately, always reassuring that our questions were valid and teaching us so much without it being overwhelming. Lara has such a calming presence and is so knowledgeable - if you're looking for a doula to support you, I truly cannot think of a better person!

    HIlary

  • My wife and I took an online prenatal course with Lara in September/October and they were an absolutely excellent guide through something that, while very exciting, also seemed very overwhelming and anxiety-inducing to us! Lara is well-informed, patient and open. There was plenty of opportunity for questions and Lara’s answers were always tailored to us and our situation. And because our course was so well-structured, thorough and thoughtfully laid out, I’ve come away from the experience feeling much better prepared for this next step, less anxious and also equipped with a variety of sources to consult. Couldn’t be happier with our choice. Highly recommend Lara!

    J.C.

  • My wife and I LOVED Lara’s prenatal course! It was the perfect blend of easy going, deeply informative, and wonderfully well-rounded in its content and presentation. The course felt much more holistic and a million times more inclusive than anything else we saw available, and has helped us take in and plan out so much more than we realized we might want/need to know, with so much less stress than when we’ve tried to do self-guided learning. Thank you for sharing your warmth and wisdom with us! It’s made a world of difference to help us feel calmer and better prepared as we get closer to birth and baby!

    A.H.N..

To find out more about Lara, you can visit their about page. In addition to offering childbirth & postpartum prep classes, Lara offers full-spectrum (birth, postpartum, loss, and abortion) doula support and infant feeding support. Support is all available on a sliding scale locally in Hamitlon and virtually, regardless of location.