Our History

Cathy Daub designed and taught the first Birth Works© classes in New Jersey in 1981.

My first birth was a cesarean for a single footling breech, and then I had a vaginal birth after cesarean  (VBAC) without interventions for my second birth.  When my husband and I moved from Massachusetts to New Jersey, I found out women were having planned repeat cesareans even though VBAC is a safer option in most cases. As I believe women should be encouraged to birth in the path of least risk, I designed and taught Birth Works classes to educate and inform women about the safety of VBACs, and also to help prevent the first cesarean.  My passion for birth has grown since then, especially because of the research on primal health (the time from conception to the end of the first year of life), knowing that what a baby experiences during that time--including whether or not hormonal behaviors are able to be expressed--is known to have  permanent effects into adulthood.  Good childbirth education is crucial now more than ever before.  Women need to know that the knowledge about how to give birth is already inside of them and childbirth education needs to be directed towards helping them to have more trust and faith in that knowledge.                                        ~Cathy Daub

 

Birth Works joined The International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN) in 1982 and Cathy served as chairperson of the education committee for the organization to develop Birth Works into a certification program. The program was completed in 1988 and the first childbirth educator training workshop was held. In 1994 Birth Works© became incorporated to form its own non-profit organization with a full Board of Directors and Board of Advisors.

Cathy is a physical therapist who has worked with handicapped children over the last 20 years. She serves as president of Birth Works and continues to bring her many talents together to enhance our learning of the human body and spirit, helping us to have more faith and trust in how it works when giving birth. She is the author of Birthing In The Spirit, A Human Values Approach To Childbirth.She is co-editor and writer for the Birth Works Manual and is author of Doulas of Love: A Guidebook for Doulas and Expectant Parents, Birthing from the Heart: A Personal Growth Journal For Professional and Expectant Parents, as well as compser of original birthing songs on the CD entitled Believe (available in the Birth Works store). She has been facilitating national/international childbirth educator workshops over the last 17 years and birth doula training workshops over the last six years. She is a founding member of CIMS having represented Birth Works at the initial coalition meetings. Cathy is a certified Maya Abdominal Massage therapist and is trained in techniques of myofascial release, all of which she incorporates into her workshops. She is also certified in pelvic bodywork. She is the mother of two children.