Prenatal and Parenting Classes

The Prenatal Education Program at Mount Sinai Hospital offers a number of prenatal classes to meet your needs. All of our classes are taught by experienced health-care professionals. 

Please book your classes early in your second trimester as they fill up quickly. Plan to take your prenatal classes between 28 and 37 weeks, except for our multiples class and our Preparing for Childbirth and Parenting class which should be started between 24 and 29 weeks.

All of our classes are offered at our downtown location however the Preparing for Childbirth and Infant Massage classes are also offered at the Sherman Health and Wellness Centre in Vaughan.
 

Registration

1. Register online except where otherwise specified.
2. Call us at 416-586-4800 ext. 2307 and your call will be returned within 3-5 business days.

 
Cancellation Policy: Due to the high number of registrations, we will not be able to accommodate rescheduling of class date once course registration and payment is complete.

Cancellations received more than 10 business days prior to the start of the class will receive a course refund, minus a non-refundable $30.00 administration fee. No refund will be issued if a cancellation is received 10 business days or less prior to the start of class.

List of Classes

Jump down the page to find more about:

• Preparing for Childbirth Series (weekday or weekend)
• Preparing for Childbirth and Parenting Series
• Preparing for Multiples Class Series
• Labour and Birth Refresher Course
• Comfort Measures Class
• Infant/Child CPR
• Meet the Anaesthesiologist
• Prenatal Hospital Tour
• Breastfeeding
• Feeding Your Baby - 6 Months and Beyond
• Infant Massage
• Parenting Together

Preparing for Childbirth Series

Our popular Prenatal Series is recommended for expectant families to attend early in their 3rd trimester. This series is offered in two different formats: four weekly evening sessions or two full-day weekend workshops. The class content is the same for both. A tour of the hospital is included at the downtown location only.

Preparing for Childbirth and Parenting Series

Our new series of 8 prenatal classes will prepare you and your partner for labour, birth and the transition to parenthood. This ground breaking course will use evidence based, practical strategies to prepare both of you for the experience of birth and help you become effective parents working together to nurture and support the development of your new family. To further facilitate your transition, three postpartum classes are available to you to help you adjust to your "new family structure" and can be registered for separately.

This program is designed to meet the special needs of parents expecting a multiple birth. The format is similar to the regular prenatal series but is one week longer and focuses on issues specific to parents of multiples. A tour of the hospital is included.

For class details see our registration web page.

Labour and Birth Refresher Course

This class is intended for women and their partners who have participated in full prenatal classes with a previous pregnancy and are looking for an update. Topics include a review of the labour and birth process, comfort measures, pain management, medical interventions and preparing the sibling(s). Partners are encouraged to attend. Hospital tour is not included.

Comfort Measures Class

If you would like to focus on relaxation and comfort techniques for labour and birth, then this class is for you. We will expand on relaxation concepts taught in our Prenatal Series, and provide valuable information for labouring women and their support persons to help them through the entire birth process..

Infant/Child CPR

This 3-hour course is taught by qualified instructors, and will cover skills needed to prevent, recognize and manage choking and cardiac emergencies in the precious infant population.

Meet the Anaesthesiologist

The Division of Obstetric Anaesthesia offers Meet the Anaesthesiologist evenings. Information is provided on labour and delivery and post-partum pain management options. The program also includes a question-and-answer session.

Prenatal Hospital Tour

For expectant parents not taking one of our prenatal series, we offer tours of the Labour and Delivery Unit, Postnatal Ambulatory Clinic and the Mother Baby Unit.  This tour will help you prepare for your Hospital stay.  Please book your tour early and plan to take it 4 to 8 weeks prior to your due date."  Please change the tour and information guide pdf to the one attached, as it has the new info about the registration process

For information on what to do and where to go when you arrive at the hospital for delivery, download our tour and information guide (34 KB pdf ).
    

Breastfeeding 

This class is designed for all expectant mothers who plan to breastfeed and is a must for those who have not attended any prenatal class. It is also a good review for those with experience and for those who have had attended our full prenatal series. A lactation consultant will discuss practical information on breastfeeding, pumping and milk supply, along with information on nutrition and medication while breastfeeding. Partners are welcome to attend.

Feeding Your Baby - 6 Months and Beyond

Learn about introducing your baby to solid foods, discover how to create a positive feeding relationship and find out how easy it is to make your own baby food in this 2 hour class led by a MSH dietician. 

Infant Massage

This 90 minute workshop is designed to teach new parents the basics of how to massage their babies from birth to the crawling stage.  Taught by a Registered Massage Therapist, you will learn the benefits of massage for both baby and care-giver, the power of positive touch and the techniques to give a full body massage.   Babies are naturally required!

Parenting Together

The “Parenting Together" Program at Mount Sinai is an evidenced based series of workshops for first time parents. The workshops are designed to help new parents and their babies navigate the changes that follow with having a baby and to ease the transition into parenthood. Each series consists of 3 postnatal support classes designed to be taken after the baby is approximately 6 weeks old.