It is the first week of 2023 and childbirth educators everywhere are starting out with the entire year about to unfold. Many of us are starting new classes and series already, and should be applying a fresh eye towards updated information and activities. Before things pick up too much speed and your teaching schedule takes over, carve out a few minutes to complete these tasks that ensure that your families are getting all the best, current information they need to have a positive birth experience in 2023.

Confirm links

Do you provide resources, handouts and supplementary material for the families in your classes?  Take a moment to be sure that all handouts and documentation to your favorite external links are working and send your students where you intend for them to go. There is nothing more frustrating than a family trying to follow your link for more information and ending up at a dead end.

Update statistics

Do you share national or local statistics in your classes? Cesarean rates, prematurity statistics, facts and stats for local hospitals, or other data points or demographics. Now is the time to make sure your slide decks, presentations and activities contain the most accurate and up to date information using the most recent time periods for which info is available.

Determine current best practices

Go over your talking points for each topic to make sure you are including the most current procedures and protocols in your community along with best practice recommendations. Examples of recent changes I see in my community include pregnant people being induced with cervical ripening balloons and going home for 12 hours, pitocin being used for inpatient inductions along with the cervical balloon and antenatal hand expression beginning at 37 weeks to support post-birth lactation success. Make sure you are current on what is actually happening in the communities you teach in.

Verify resource lists

Many educators offer resource lists for providers and specialists who serve the perinatal community. Now is the ideal time to make sure that your contact information is accurate for all your favorites and that everyone on the list is still in practice and offering services in your area.

Evaluate registration and pricing

Inflation has impacted every family and every organization across the board. Now is the time to evaluate your program and registration costs to be sure that you are adequately covering any expenses and educator compensation goals that you have. Determine what your price point is for your class offerings and adjust accordingly in this unfavorable economy so that you and your programs can afford to remain competitive and profitable.

A new year can be an exciting time to continue to grow your skills and expand your professional goals. Be sure to allow some time to confirm you are providing accurate and up to date information and resources to the families you work with. Spending an hour or two updating your material and sources is time well spent as you launch into serving families in 2023

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