Name

Mandi Wagnild

Business Name

Starry Night Birth & Baby

Contact Information

Phone: (607) 220-6656
Email: Mandi@StarryNightBirthAndBaby.com

Website

StarryNightBirthAndBaby.com

Regions served

Anywhere in the world for virtual workshops

Up to two hours drive from Ithaca, including Syracuse, Binghamton, and Rochester for hybrid workshops

General structure of childbirth education

You’ll learn how to:

  • Relieve tension and fear about what to expect by learning about the what will happen in your body and mind during each stage of labor

  • Gain confidence in your birth partner with role playing activities to ensure that they know how to support you when you need it the most

  • Reduce pain during labor by learning how to use those pesky pregnancy hormones to your advantage

  • Prepare your body for labor and birth with tips on how to help prevent complications so you can stay healthy and low risk

  • Reduce the risk of dreaded “back labor” and bond with your baby along the way by learning about your baby’s position

  • Plan ahead by discussing possible complications and what options you have if you experience them

  • Reduce the risk of unwanted interventions by learning techniques to prevent the "cascade of interventions"

  • Make informed choices during pregnancy, labor, birth, and early parenting by learning which questions to ask and how to interpret the answers

  • Plan a healthier birth by learning about the gap between best practice and common practice

  • Effectively communicate your informed choices to your care provider with different birth plans for different situations

  • Effectively communicate about your plans and preferences regarding coping measures and pain medications by creating a pain management plan

  • Make informed decisions with up-to-the-minute evidence about surprising best practices for an healthier birth

  • Minimize the risks and maximize the benefits of interventions like induction, epidurals, cesarean births, and more

  • Stay comfortable and promote progress during labor with 55+ positions, 15+ movements, 5+ massage techniques, 10+ breathing techniques, vocalization, heat/cold therapy, music, hydrotherapy, the 3Rs of childbirth, and more

I typically offer six weekly 2.5 hour sessions, but also offer an express two-day option.  Workshops are customized based on your labor & birth knowledge, experience, and vision.

Please see my website for additional details & pricing.

Additional services

  • Birth doula support

  • Postpartum doula support

  • Lactation consultation

Certifications

  • Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator

  • Certified Birth Doula

  • International Board Certified Lactation Consultant

  • Certified Breastfeeding Specialist

  • Certified Lactation Counselor

  • Certified Postpartum Doula

  • Spinning Babies Certified Parent Educator

  • Evidence Based Birth Instructor Emeritus

  • Basic Life Saver (CPR/AED training for Healthcare Workers)

  • BS in Maternal Child Health with a focus in Lactation Consulting

  • Birth Doula Trainer

Advanced training & experience

  • Helping families access the personalized, respectful, and safe evidence-based care they deserve

  • Helping partners stay actively engaged and supportive during labor and birth

  • Supporting families who have experienced trauma in the past

  • The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative

  • Supporting families with breech babies

  • Spinning Babies® body balancing techniques for a comfortable, confident birth

  • Planning and preparing for a successful Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC)

  • Working collaboratively with clients, birth partners, nurses, providers, and other professionals

  • The politics and challenges of family-centered cesarean birth

  • The Mother Friendly Childbirth Initiative

  • Birthing From Within childbirth education techniques

  • Supporting families through loss

Why are you a childbirth educator?

I’m a childbirth educator because I saw a deep need for more personalized, compassionate, and evidence-based education and care of families in labor, birth, and early parenting.  Hospital classes are common but often very short so they only include very basic information with virtually no personalized information on birth options or comfort measures.  They’re designed for parents who are content with “cookie cutter care” where everyone gets the same care, regardless of their personal values and preferences.  This almost always involves interventions that parents don’t get to make informed choices about (and often don’t even know about until it’s happening).  This contributes to the maternal health crisis our nation is currently facing.  I’ve devoted my life to helping lead families down the pathways to healthier births and happier babies, regardless of their birth vision. I do this through interactive, evidence-based workshops and personalized, compassionate support.

I make three promises to all of my Lamaze students:

  • I promise I’ll support you.  Sometimes families worry that attending a childbirth class means that they’ll be pushed to birth a certain way or judged if they decide not to.  Not at Starry Night Birth & Baby!  No matter what you want, I’ll support your decisions.  From a home birth to an elective cesarean, it’s your body, your baby, your decision.

  • I promise I’ll help you meet your goals.  I’ll teach you what you need to know, help you make a plan based on your preferences, answer all your questions, and occasionally challenge you to think outside of the box.

  • If the plan changes, I still promise I’ll support you.  If you decide that your original plans aren’t right for you or your family anymore, I'll help you make the change.  There are no right or wrong choices - only the choices that are best for you and your growing family.

I’m a bit of a nerd (a lifelong learner) so I'm always on the lookout for the latest research. I read every book, watch every video, and attend every training I can. In fact, my bachelor's degree is in Maternal Child Health. Even after studying pregnancy, birth, and newborn feeding and parenting for over 12 years, I continue to be amazed at the complex physical and emotional process that the human body and mind go through during this time, what we know about it, and how much we still have to learn.

Testimonials

I was skeptical about the popular websites and forums that offer information for moms-to-be. I wanted childbirth classes that took a perspective on women's bodies as powerful and able. Mandi provided that a thousand times over! I was impressed by Mandi's sheer knowledge in the field of birth. My husband and I attended several of her birth workshops, and Mandi has the level of expertise that is only possible by true immersion, consistent self-study, and passion for this field. Mandi absolutely impressed me with her ability to communicate the information to us clearly and her passion for teaching families everything they need to know to achieve their goals in labor and birth... I knew I didn't want to use standard interventions such as an epidural or induction, and I knew I did want to breastfeed. Mandi taught me everything I needed to know about these topics and we were successful in all of these endeavors!”

Kati, first time mom

"Mandi’s childbirth education class... employed a multi-faceted teaching approach that catered to all learning styles, making supplemental use of a host of visual aids, props, videos and hands-on learning opportunities. The class gave a detailed overview of all aspects of pregnancy, birth and postpartum recovery, and Mandi respectfully and professionally delivered the material in an unbiased manner. Mandi maintained an excellent balance of lecture and discussion, and she was exceptionally thorough in answering questions and taking the time to elaborate on the material as needed. Mandi was impressively knowledgeable about all aspects of the curriculum, and diligently looked up any points that required further explanation. She freely and frequently quoted current, evidence-based research ad lib with remarkable eloquence, demonstrating an expertise honed by diligent self-study and experiential learning. Mandi further deepened our understanding of the research and increased our self-sufficiency by providing links to quality resources and assigning us to educate ourselves outside of class so that we could return to share our findings with each other. Her passion for the subject matter was contagious, and she instilled confidence rooted in preparedness in her students. The knowledge and confidence that I took away from Mandi’s class imbued me with a sense of calm through the remainder of my pregnancy.”

Erika, second time mom