Great Starts Instructors

My passions in life are bellies, babies, birth & breastfeeding. I have been a perinatal educator for 20 years, and I have been supporting families with very young children for 30 years.  Teaching is my first love, but I have also trained as a birth doula, as an infant massage parent educator, in placenta encapsulation, and the biomechanics of birth with specialized movement courses: Yoga Way to Birth, Birth Wisdom Yoga & Dancing for Birth. I currently also help new parents in the tender afterbirth time as a postpartum doula.  Birth is a hugely transformative event that I have experienced 3x personally.  My goal in class is to explore birth options with parents so they build knowledge, gain skills & are able to make informed decisions around their bodies, babies & births.  

I believe in facilitating rather than teaching. I want all students to gain self-efficacy and knowledge through engaging hands on experience that leave them feeling ready to advocate for themselves.

I believe that every woman should have the chance to face any fears of birthing and learn constructive ways to help them look forward to birth with calm and confidence.

I believe that class is an invaluable opportunity for new mothers and their partners to build their labor and parenting “tool box” by engaging in hands-on practice and learning relevant, evidence-based information.  I want students to leave class confident in their own wisdom to make decisions about their birth and to care for their newborn.

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I believe that knowledge is power. I thrive to provide evidence-based information to families so that they can make informed decisions throughout their birth journey. Besides learning about coping skills, new information about pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and newborn care, families have a chance to build community with other expecting parents to support one another through the first months of their postpartum period.

For childbirth classes: I encourage expectant parents to learn about all of their options, using professionals to answer the key questions about those options, but then to make their own decisions, based on their personal values and priorities.

For parenting: We all have good days and bad days as a parent. Our kids have good days and bad. We try to set high standards and live up to them whenever we can, but we forgive ourselves and our kids when we aren’t at our best. Seeking out parent education and support helps us to succeed.

I believe that every child deserves to be loved and protected, and that every parent and caregiver deserves access to support and reliable information. In my classes, I strive to empower families to be healthy, safe, and happy. My goal in class is to help parents and caregivers realize their strengths, identify risks, and lessen their fears by providing them with the tools they need to make informed decisions for the safety of their children.

My goal as an educator is to equip new parents with the information necessary to make decisions that best suits their birth goals. I also try to instill confidence that they are their own best advocates and to trust their instincts.

I endeavor to increase the confidence of those taking my classes, while balancing realistic expectations. I am a fiend for current research and evidence, and balancing that evidence with what families might actually expect in their birth setting. I particularly enjoy discussing the expectations, values and priorities each family brings to their childbirth, and the confluence of these expectations and typical labor experiences.

I do this work because I believe effective parenting is one of the best ways to improve the world, and parenting begins with pregnancy and birth. My greatest pleasure as a childbirth educator is watching women become confident, joyous and excited about the birth and early parenting of their children. I firmly believe in using any fear and anxiety we might have to examine our choices and beliefs, and find ways of birthing and parenting that are just right for us. When I think about the power of preparing for labor, birth, and parenthood, Maya Angelou sums it up best: “When you know better, you do better…”. I also believe happiness comes from achieving realistic expectations. My job is to help you learn the skills and become confident about achieving what is realistically possible during childbirth and the early parenting period.

I believe that birth classes should be fun and engaging and help parents feel prepared and confident to ask their questions and make decisions for themselves and their baby. Pregnancy, birth and postpartum can have so many variations and potential challenges. Parents who have clarified their values, trust themselves to get the information they need and feel confident making decisions will feel ready to take on whatever comes when their child is born.

My goal for my students is that they walk away from class feeling informed and confident to make decisions that will allow them to have a positive birth experience. Birth is a transformative experience that stays in our memories forever, and I believe that education is a major step towards the positive birth memories we all deserve.

I believe that every family has the right to be an informed, active participant in the birth of their children. I strive to inspire parents to approach labor and birth with confidence and strength, allowing them to embrace the choices they will make along the path to welcoming their baby to the world. I am a strong supporter of using evidence, science, and informed decision-making to be an advocate for yourself throughout pregnancy and childbirth.

I believe that parents are the experts in their children, and deserve clear, evidence based information to make the best choices for them. My goal in class is to help parents and caregivers start conversations, build confidence, and inspire them to share with other caregivers in their life.

Sharon has been the consulting instructor at Parent Trust since April 2013, honored to be working with our fantastic team of educators.
Sharon has been an active childbirth professional since 2004, teaching Lamaze classes to thousands of families and providing doula services to approximately 460 more through her private practice in Seattle, Washington. She is an instructor at the Simkin Center, Bastyr University where she is a birth doula trainer.

New families start from what they know and build bridges to less familiar content, making new knowledge meaningful and constructing their own understanding of the material. It is my job as an educator to ensure they have access to the inclusive environment and tools they need to complete this task.

I support families in their choices for childbirth and postpartum, by providing unbiased, evidence based information, in a fun and energetic format, that includes practice and sharing ideas. In our time together, you will see my passion, compassion and honesty, as we learn together what is right for you.