Shara Frederick

Shara is a really wonderful teacher. My husband and I took her preparation for childbirth weekend intensive and really gained a lot from it, especially my husband who definitely felt a lot more involved in the process post the class.
She is very endearing, knowledgeable and delivers the information in a very straightforward, non-​forceful way. There is no one birthing way that suits all and Shara is great at delivering that message and providing information for people wanting different types of birth. Saying that she definitely reinforced why a natural birth is the best for mummy and baby if there are no complications.

My husband and I completed Shara’s homebirth and newborn care classes and had a wonderful experience. Shara is informative, down to earth and we felt immediately comfortable asking questions. Our homebirth class was with two other couples (the day long intensive class) and the newborn care class was a mix of hospital, birthing center and homebirth partners. I am choosing a homebirth for a number of important reasons but am sometimes a bit alienated from the hippyness of the scene. This was not the case with Shara. We definitely recommend her for anyone looking for childbirth education classes.

We loved our childbirth education classes with Shara! I had my baby 3 months ago and I felt well prepared because of her class. She is very knowledgeable about pregnancy, labor and delivery. She has a reassuring, informative style as a teacher and does a great job of communicating that knowledge to her class, and she does it without freaking out expectant parents. I also loved how non-​judgmental Shara is with regards to medical interventions in pregnancy. In our class, other pregnant ladies were using midwives as their providers. I am a physician myself and was seeing an obstetrician and felt that Shara was speaking equally to the whole group. Highly recommend this class.

Shara was recommended by our midwife Cara Muhlhahn. She taught the home birth intensive version of her class in our neighborhood (convenient), had thought of everything, was extremely organized and on schedule, made the class interactive through asking us questions, inciting us to perform certain parenting and birthing behaviors. She was very encouraging and helpful and kind and we’d recommend her to anyone looking to learn about home birth in a comfy and relaxing space.

My partner and I took Shara’s 5 week childbirth education class and it was just awesome. She’s incredibly warm and welcoming and patiently answered all of my million questions. She gave us information across a wide range of birth experiences, from unmedicated to c-​section, and is especially informed about natural/​non-​medical establishment options. I think her class would be great for anyone considering a home birth, birthing center, or hospital birth. We practiced lots of positioning and comfort measures, and I really appreciated that we spent a whole class on post-​partum care, breastfeeding, and infant care. I feel prepared to have a baby, which is really saying something.

My husband and I participated in her birthing class in July. I have nothing but great things to say. Shara is very knowledgeable on the birth process and thorough with her explanations on the everything she teaches. While teaching, she is very considerate and sensitive of guests feelings towards different views, philosophies and approaches to birth and is gracefully skilled at answering questions on subjects that may be a little controversial to some without stepping on any toes.
I left her workshop feeling prepared to take on this exciting and scary moment feeling a lot less scared about the birth and armed with a lot more information. Shara has a way of making you see it for what it is… natural…and a normal part of mother nature’s cycle.
I would highly recommend her workshop to anyone considering birthing classes, I totally feel like it was worth every penny.

This is a review from a father-​to-​be:
My wife and I have taken Shara’s Childbirth Intensive weekend class and we both loved it.
She is a good teacher, always eye level, funny and knowledgeable, but I think her most remarkable trait is her ability to be nonjudgmental. This is easily said but it can be hard to do, and in a topic like childbirth where there can be so many different opinions in one room — opinions that are often highly emotional — it’s a high wire act.
What Shara does is not to try to be bland or evade any hard statements. Instead she will take the time to properly explain the issue from multiple perspectives and reasons for or against each, leaving it open to us to form our own more qualified opinion.
This meant that we never felt that our particular choices were judged negatively.
The classes contained a lot of information and I’m not sure if I will remember it all, but what I found to be even more helpful was that each time we had taken a class, the conversation between my wife and I would continue long into the night. We would discuss the details of what had been said… «I like when she said that…» but this was not just a matter of practically absorbing the knowledge — it was just as much a matter of emotionally travelling through this time of transformation — travelling together. The classes made the upcoming events real and present and allowed us to work through the preparations together.

Shara is the rockstar of childbirth educators! i did extensive meticulous research for our childbirth class and Shara totally exceeded our expectations! the class was engaging, participatory, FUN, serious and totally invaluable! We really cherished our 5 weeks with her and feel prepared in every way, physically, mentally and emotionally to bring our baby into this world! thank you so so much Shara!!!

My husband and I took Shara’s homebirth childbirth class. We took the class very early in our pregnancy because I wanted to make sure I had a childbirth class with others who would be experiencing a homebirth. She was super informative and warm. She covered a ton of material including procedures for a hospital birth, newborn care and answered any questions we brought to the table. I really enjoyed the fact that she has children of her own and shared her experiences with us both as a professional and as a mother. My husband and I also felt that she was just very informed on the topic. I loved that she would usually have a hands-​on part to her class including helping us try different positions, watching videos and holding fake babies;) I really appreciated the knowledge she shared with us and, especially as I continue working with my midwife, I feel I am able to really digest topics my midwife is covering at each visit because of our experiences with Shara’s birthing class.

My husband and I can’t recommend Shara highly enough. She’s a highly-​experienced doula and midwife’s assistant, and as a teacher, she is knowledgeable, friendly, funny, honest, and down-​to-​earth — essentially, everything you could want. She has helped us feel far more equipped & prepared than we did before, and far less scared, like we can actual possibly handle the tornado that’s about to touch down.
Best of all, without being touchy-​feely, she is positive in a way that makes everyone else feel more positive, and capable, too. After only five minutes, I was having fantasies about going to labor while in class with her so that she’d feel obligated to stay with me through the process.

Shara is terrific! She’s non-​judgmental, knowledgeable, and warm, and we absolutely loved going to her classes. My husband and I were so sad when the classes ended, we would have happily done six more weeks with her.

Shara provided a great home birth ed class. She provided the exact right balance of information and friendly atmosphere where we really felt we could ask her anything. She tailored the class to the needs of those planning a home birth. The group was just the right size (5 couples) to feel intimate but also allow us to make some friends and relate to others making similar birthing choices. She’s soothing without being crunchy. Highly recommended.

My husband and I were so fortunate because we had the honor of both attending Shara Frederick’s PHENOMENAL childbirth education class (specifically the class she offers for parents planning a homebirth) as well as have her as part of our birth team during the immediate postpartum period. Both experiences were unforgettable.
I am a Registered Nurse with experience in Labor and Delivery and have worked in Maternal-​Child health for the past 4 years. My husband and I went back & forth trying to decide if we even «needed» to take a Childbirth Education class. We are so happy we decided to attend.
Shara’s class offers so much more than the typical stages of labor explanations although she does teach the basics along with everything else. While the class is packed full of useful information and resources it is also very personalized. She REALLY listens and can quickly tune in to what a soon-​to-​be parent is trying to verbalize or work through or learn.
Shara provides a learning environment that is warm and friendly and comfortable. The Homebirth class specifically felt much like a support group. Her teaching methods vary so that each person in the room stays engaged regardless of learning style. Each time class ended I couldn’t believe how fast time flew by!
Shara’s passion for pregnancy, birth and parenting really come alive as she teaches or assists at a birth. Shara, you held my hand figuratively during class and literally after my delivery. I will always be grateful for the time spent with you.

My husband and I took Shara’s homebirth education class this past month and we highly recommend it to any soon-​to-​be parents who are planning a homebirth. Shara has a great sense of humor and is both easy-​going and knowledgeable.
Her approach to childbirth, and homebirth in particular, is grounded in the idea that we all have the coping tools and ability to plan a successful homebirth and she starts her classes by asking what types of activities we already do to deal with pain and encourage relaxation. From there she helps you develop your own set of tools and tricks to work through the different stages of labor.
Her classes are great because they are a mix of facts (signs and stages of labor, baby positioning, possible complications), skill-​building (relaxation, massage, movement, and other techniques), and time for questions and reflection. Her classes never felt rushed and she creates an open and generous space that allows for discussion. She also covers the basics of breastfeeding and newborn care. I feel so much more confident about my homebirth after taking her class!

My husband and I recently completed a childbirth education class with Shara and we both agreed that she was great! Shara is warm, kind, funny, sensitive and extremely knowledgeable. The class covered not only labor and comfort measures but everything from third trimester concerns through breastfeeding and some early baby care. I had done tons of reading on pregnancy and birth but still found myself thinking and learning throughout the four class series. There was plenty of time to ask questions but Shara also made sure that we stayed on track and got through everything we needed to. One of my favorite parts was learning about counter pressure and massage techniques to use during labor which basically translated to my husband giving me a fantastic massage for almost an hour! My husband and I left the final class feeling excited and ready for the challenge of birthing our baby!

My partner and I took Shara’s Childbirth education class this fall before having our first baby and we cannot say enough kind words about her. She is encouraging and lays out all options for you in an honest yet still warm manner. Her words definitely resonated with us and we would highly recommend this class. Will use her doula services next time!

Shara Frederick provides prenatal and postpartum doula services and Childbirth Education classes. My wife and I had never met her before she was recommended from friends of ours who consider themselves very lucky to have had Shara by their side during a grueling, marathon labor.
I wish only that I could indicate more than 5 stars. Pop a few zeros after that figure, maybe. Our experience with her has been fantastic.
We hired Shara for doula services and also signed up for her childbirth education classes.
As a doula, she has been knowledgeable, attentive, and available. She is honest and opinionated without being pushy, pedantic, or judgmental, and has proven expert at helping we soon-​to-​be first-​time parents navigate our personal unknown territory with open minds and confidence (well, as much confidence as rookies can muster!). She pulls no punches and is very clear about what she is there for: Helping to figure out what kind of birth experience a mom would like, what kind of birth experiences are realistically possible, reconciling the former with the latter, and then seeing the whole thing through.
Her childbirth education classes have also been a simply priceless asset for us. She was patient and sensitive, managing to move along the class while providing ample time for individual attention. The vibe of the class is casual, thoughtful, and very comfortable. As important as anything else is that she listens as well as she speaks. This was an important component in our experience, and we found that it did not overlap significantly with Shara’s doula services (i.e., one did not render the other redundant).
Overall: We are very happy with our decision to trust Shara as a guide for a harrowing, magical, often kinda gross, frequently trying, and always rewarding journey.