Free Childbirth Classes Available At Knapp Medical Center

Mid-Valley parents-to-be can receive valuable information to prepare for baby’s birth  

Weslaco – Expectant parents in the Mid-Valley area can find valuable information to help them prepare for the birth of their baby through free childbirth classes which are held at Knapp Medical Center in Weslaco.

Mothers and fathers can receive individualized instruction on what to expect during labor, pain management options (such as epidurals, etc.), breathing techniques, baby care, the benefits of breastfeeding, nutrition, exercise and fitness, through the monthly classes at the Knapp Conference Center.

“Many of our patients tell us that childbirth classes have helped them with their labor,” added Olivia Estrada, RN, who serves as Director of Women’s Health Services for Knapp Medical Center and is a childbirth educator and certified car seat technician.

“The childbirth classes are very educational and they have helped me a lot,” said one Weslaco mother who gave birth to her baby girl at Knapp Medical Center.

Priscilla Claudio, RN, MSN, certified childbirth educator and lactation consultant with Knapp Medical Center, said the hospital encourages new mothers to try “skin-to-skin” breastfeeding.

The purpose of this skin-to-skin contact is to encourage breastfeeding by placing the baby on mom’s chest area as soon as possible after birth. This also helps promote closeness between mom and baby, Ms. Claudio said.

In addition, she noted that several studies have shown that breast milk helps protect newborn babies from various health conditions.

Ms. Claudio breast-fed her two daughters — experiences which allow her to better share tips and first-hand knowledge, while encouraging new mothers to give breastfeeding a try with their newborn babies.

Ms. Claudio has 21 years of experience helping new mothers and newborns as a labor and delivery nurse, post-partum charge nurse, maternal program manager, childbirth educator and lactation consultant. She is an International Certified Childbirth Educator and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, as well as certified as a Registered Nurse for High Risk Obstetrics.

In addition, Ms. Claudio has served as an assistant instructor / clinical instructor at the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College — where she also received a Master of Science in Nursing degree, a Bachelor of Science Nursing degree, and an Associate of Science in Nursing degree. A native of the Rio Grande Valley, she graduated from the South Texas High School for Health Professions in Mercedes.

The Women’s Center at Knapp Medical Center includes private labor & delivery birthing suites, equipped with high-tech patients beds; private post-partum maternity rooms, equipped with TVs, full bathrooms, and recliners for the father or support person; a certified Level II Neonatal Nursery; and surgical suites and recovery beds conveniently located within the Labor and Delivery Unit.

Knapp’s Women Center has received many awards for care of its patients, including being named a “5-Star Recipient for C-Section Delivery” and a “5-Star Recipient for Gynecologic Procedures” by Healthgrades, a national company which specializes in research about healthcare.

Experienced obstetrician-gynecologists on Knapp’s medical staff include Dr. Ronald Blanco, Dr. Laura Flores-Rodríguez, Dr. Annabelle Lopez, Dr. Jonathan Lugo, Dr. Mona H. Mallikarjunaiah, and Dr. Gregoris Nunez.  In addition, a family medicine physician, Dr. Indira Perales, is providing obstetrics services at Knapp after completing a fellowship in surgical family medicine obstetrics.

The childbirth classes are held on the second Saturday of each month, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon in the KMC Conference Center, a free-standing, two-story building on the west side of the Knapp Medical Center campus, 1401 E. 8th St. in Weslaco.

For more information or to RSVP for the childbirth classes, or to schedule a tour of the Women’s Center at Knapp Medical Center, please call (956) 973-5350 or (956) 969-5351, or e-mail Priscilla Claudio at PClaudio@PrimeHealthCare.com or Olivia Estrada at OEstrada@PrimeHealthCare.com.

More information is also available at: www.KnappMed.org/our-services/womens-health-services/ and at: www.FaceBook.com/KnappMedicalCenter/.