Prepare students prior to class. Tell them they will be going through a simulated labor and ask them to bring their labor bag and birth snacks to class.

Don’t tell them about the contraction sound ahead of time. Let them puzzle over it, just as they may puzzle over the first real contractions of labor.

Start the DVD playing exactly on the hour. This makes it easier to synchronize with the script.

Set the volume so that the first contractions are background noise and transition contractions are uncomfortably loud.

Use the Teaching Outline included with the DVD, or download a blank outline from here.

Plan to do most teaching early in the labor when it’s possible to talk at length between contractions.

Once Active Labor starts, avoid talking during a contraction, just as you would if this was a real labor.

You can only say a couple of sentences between contractions in Transition, and that’s OK! It illustrates the intensity of late first stage of labor.

Model coping techniques during contractions and encourage your students to do the same. Use a variety of positions, rhythms, vocalizations, etc.

Allow at least 10 minutes after the mock labor ends to talk with students about the experience.