Birth Coach Method® | Professional Training
Nurses as Coaches in L&D
A Pathway to Patient-Centered Care, Patient Engagement, and Physiological Birth
Beyond clinical expertise
Better Conversations. Stronger Partnerships.
Better Care.
Patient engagement, partnership, and patient-centered care are key to quality, safe maternal care. They also support physiological birth and increase vaginal birth rates.
Achieving these outcomes takes more than clinical knowledge and skills. It requires connection, effective communication, and the ability to guide conversations that help patients feel heard, explore their options, and participate actively in decisions about their care.
Birth Coach Method® equips nurses with practical coaching strategies to strengthen these relationships, complement their clinical expertise, and support patients as active partners throughout pregnancy and birth.
The coaching difference
Patient-Centered Care in Practice
Your clinical expertise matters. Coaching builds on it by helping you listen with intention, ask purposeful questions, and explore each patient’s perspective. These skills help patients move from passive recipients of care to active participants in decisions about their care.
The result is a more collaborative relationship that strengthens patient engagement, supports autonomy, and creates the conditions for shared decisions.
Build rapport in minutes
Build connection and trust from the first interaction, inviting patients to safely participate in conversations about their care.
Ask questions to open a dialogue
Explore patients’ concerns, values, and preferences to support meaningful conversations and shared decisions.
Listen with intention
Create space for concerns, priorities, and experiences that might otherwise remain unspoken.
Coaching through moments that matter the most
When a Care Plan and Patient’s Vision Don’t Align
When the care you provide aligns with what your patient hopes for, you feel the connection and partnership that make nursing so rewarding. But what happens when they don’t align?
You may find yourself navigating a birth plan that differs from the recommended plan of care, resistance to an intervention, or a patient who has clear preferences but feels unprepared to put them into practice.
Coaching skills offer another way to approach these moments. Through purposeful questions, intentional listening, and meaningful dialogue, you can better understand what matters to your patient and create space for greater engagement, partnership, and shared decisions.
Professional Education
A More Complete Approach to Maternal Care
Integrate your clinical expertise, practical labor support, and coaching skills to create meaningful partnerships with patients and provide more individualized, patient-centered care.
1. Clinical Knowledge
Apply your clinical knowledge to support safe, individualized maternal care, facilitate informed consent, and respect patients’ autonomy and preferences.
2. Hands-On Labor Support
Use practical labor support techniques and comfort measures to help patients cope with labor, support labor progress, and promote a safe, satisfying birth experience.
3. Verbal Coaching Skills
Use coaching strategies to build partnerships with patients, engage them in their care, and help them recognize their strengths, build confidence, and take an active role in their birth experience.
Testimonials
Voices from the Training
Going through this training together was great for team-building, and it helped strengthen our connection. I think we all learned some really cool tips and tricks, and we can work together in the future to put them into action. I really enjoyed learning about mirroring (the video was very interesting!) and establishing rapport. I also really liked working together on the case studies to role-play responses to different patient scenarios. I’m happy to say that shortly after the workshop, we did put our skills into action, and we had a phenomenal success story facilitating a safe vaginal birth.Lauren Severiano, L&D RN, Stanford Hospital, Pleasanton, CA
“As an RN, I’ve practiced this method with all patients at the clinic. I’ve noticed, especially those that are “guarded” a bit, that they are willing to open up more and share more information, and their walls have gone down little by little. I feel that I am able to gain their trust faster.”Rose IsBell, RN, Nevada, USA
“The coaching questions are so valuable. I can’t wait to ask every patient: “How can I best support you right now? It’s such a simple way to understand her beliefs and personal needs.”Ruth W., L&D RN, El-Camino Mountain View Hospital, California
FAQ
Your questions answered
Practical answers about bringing coaching and labor support into L&D nursing.
Is this program designed specifically for L&D nurses?
Yes. The program is designed for L&D nurses who want to strengthen their practical labor support skills and build meaningful, patient-centered partnerships with their patients.
Can coaching help increase patient engagement?
Yes. Coaching helps patients become more engaged and accountable for their birth experience. Rather than nurses carrying the responsibility for every decision, coaching creates space for patients to participate, express what matters to them, and take greater ownership of their care.
How can this training support vaginal birth?
The workshop introduces an interpersonal approach to L&D nursing that supports patient engagement, autonomy, and partnership—key elements of patient-centered maternity care. It also provides nurses with practical labor-support tools to help patients cope with labor and remain active participants in the birth process.
Can these skills be used during medically complex or high-risk births?
Yes, when appropriate to the clinical situation. Coaching does not replace clinical assessment, intervention, or professional judgment. It complements clinical care by helping nurses communicate with patients and maintain a strong patient-nurse partnership, especially when medical conditions or interventions change the birthgiver’s original vision for their birth.
How many CE hours does the workshop provide?
The California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) approves this one-day workshop for 14 continuing education hours. Each nurse receives a certificate of completion. For an on-site workshop, please contact us.
Is the workshop available online?
Yes. Although the workshop was traditionally offered in person, it is currently available online. The online program combines video lessons with practical teaching materials and resources.
What’s included in the training?
Each participant receives a digital copy of The Art of Coaching for Childbirth, online access to 9 modules, and a certificate of completion. The program also provides educational materials and practical resources to support continued use of the skills after the workshop.
What labor support skills will I learn?
You’ll learn a wide variety of practical and effective comfort measures and labor support techniques matched to the different phases of labor, helping you choose the right tools at the right time to support coping and labor progress.
The online lessons are organized by labor phase, making it easy to find the techniques you want to learn, practice, and use.
You’ll explore coping and support tools including positioning, massage, vocalization, visualization, rebozo, physioballs, peanut balls, and other comfort measures.
Take your care further
Your expertise matters. So does the conversation.
Bring clinical knowledge, hands-on labor support, and coaching skills together
to strengthen patient partnerships and elevate the care you provide.