Sydney Reed

Professional Activity
2 December 2017

During the end of this semester, I assisted Melissa Goldsmith in teaching a Childbirth

Education Class at Teen Outreach Pregnancy Services (TOPS). TOPS is a social services

program designed for pregnant teens with the hope of improving the outcome of the mother and

the child. TOPS provides education that the teen moms need to make informed decisions about

their pregnancies, labor and deliver, parenting, and sexual health. Their goal is to treat each teen

with respect, support, and education. Melissa Goldsmith has been working with teens to provide

this education.

I joined Melissa for her Childbirth Education series that began on November 9th, 2017.

The classes are held on Thursday evenings from 5:30 PM 8:00 PM. The childbirth education

classes are comprised of four main classes: Labor and Delivery, Postpartum Care and Medical

Procedures, Introduction to Infant Nutrition/Comfort and Breathing Techniques, and Infant

Feeding and Newborn Behaviors. During each class, I assisted Melissa in setting up the

classroom setting at the TOPS office and co-teaching the topics for that evening. For the first

class, we had one couple within the age range of 17-19 years old. We watched a few educational

videos and educated the couple on what to expect during Labor and Delivery. The couple was

engaged in the learning and had many questions. The second class (11/17/17) covering

Postpartum Care and Medical Procedures was held in a classroom at Tucson Medical Center

(TMC). For this class, we had 5 mothers and their support people. This class went in depth

through videos and instruction on the medical procedures that they may face and how to made

informed decisions considering these procedures. We instructed the teens that they have a choice

and they can make decisions considering what treatments they receive. At the end of this class, I
led all of the attendees in the Andrew Weil 4-7-8 breathing technique as a possible way to

manage labor pain and stress.

The final class I co-taught was on 11/24/17 at TMC and covered an introduction to infant

nutrition and focused specifically on breastfeeding. Additionally, I was able to teach the entire

section on non-pharmacological ways to cope with the pain and stress of labor. I taught this

section because I recently completed my thesis on this topic with the help of Melissa Goldsmith.

For this class we had two moms and one partner in attendance. The class was very engaged and

interactive. The women had many questions which led to many good discussions.

This activity was very important to my personal and professional development. I found

that I truly enjoy teaching and especially to young women with the goal of empowering them to

make decision about their health and the health of their child. I have spent my time in nursing

school developing my thesis in this area and this was a way for me to apply what I have been

studying for the past two years through research. Additionally, this developed my teaching skills.

I have always been interested in public speaking but I have not had much experience in teaching.

This opportunity honed my skills in teaching and specifically in tailoring education to the

population in front of me. This experience has led me to have the goal of teaching childbirth

education classes in the future. I highly recommend this experience to any nursing student who is

interested in Womens Health and especially Labor and Delivery.