Dear Curious Mom,
What I want to share with you is my desire for you and your baby to have the most beautiful birth and blissful postpartum possible. I have learned some tools that I believe will help you.
I initially became interested in Natural Childbirth while pregnant with my first child. I spent months reading about “Natural Birth," as well as discussing the normal process of birth with my doctor. However, I quickly began to realize that he and I had very different definitions of the normal process of birth. The unfortunate truth was my hopes and desires fell on deaf ears and through a series of my own choices as well as the acceptance of unnecessary interventions, my first experience of birth involved some trauma. Nevertheless, Kyle’s birth was both a blessing and a victory. It taught me that an unmedicated vaginal birth could be anything but natural, ignoring the normal unfolding of a beautifully designed process which will inevitably create unneeded detours. It was shortly after that that I began to question the unfolding of my firstborn’s entrance into the world.
And as I questioned, I researched and read and learned from other birthing moms and experienced natural birth practitioners. I also questioned what I had been taught by my birth educator. I decided that I wanted to share all that I was learning regarding making a safe space for a woman to birth normally. I was honored to have four more beautiful and powerful home births where I was well supported in being whoever I needed to be and to learn the lessons that I needed to learn.
Tracy at the birth of her fifth child, surrounded by love.
Labor, birth, and breastfeeding are a marvelous dance that a well cared for mom and baby learn together. I am passionate and grateful to be able to share not just my own journey but all that I’ve learned from every family that I’ve had the privilege of working with. My husband and I have been married 44 wild and wonderful years, I am the passionate mother of five children, and the joyously proud Grandma of 14 grandchildren--peacefully born into their mommies' and daddies' arms.
When Kyle was just six months old, she and I attended a training for the Bradley Method. This became a lifelong love affair learning everything I could regarding the healthiest ways to approach pregnancy, birth, infant feeding, as well as what makes for a strong family foundation and thriving kids. I grew as a Doula organically as I began to attend the births of my clients. I later received my certification and also became a Midwife Assistant through Informed Birth and Parenting. My breastfeeding training obtained through the University of California system prepared me as a counselor and support for postpartum families. Since then, I have continued to research, read, and attend trainings but I will forever be amazed at the beauty and lessons of the birth and postpartum experience itself. I began teaching Natural Childbirth Classes when my first daughter was nine months old and was mentored by a wonderful Santa Barbara icon, Fredda Spirka, to teach Prenatal and Postpartum Dance, Yoga and Relaxation Skills for labor classes. I am always awed by the powerful ways in which each individual family is touched by the births of their children. I have taught prenatal and postpartum programs for 40 years and have had the privilege of preparing thousands of families for the unfolding of their very own story.
I believe there is tremendous value in the birth experience itself. I believe the mother's body has been perfectly created to give birth and nourish her baby. Although help is sometimes necessary for the safety of the mother and baby, most women can give birth with little to no intervention, and a lot of encouragement and support! I have witnessed mothers benefit from the hormonal symphony of natural childbirth and the profound blessing of working through her personal birth story, making educated, intuitive and thoughtful decisions for the wellbeing of herself and her baby that will impact them for a lifetime. I believe that every birth matters--to the mother, the baby, the dad, and the family.
Birth is a powerful process, designed to bless and build healthy families on a strong foundation of love and trust. It can be the most transformational experience of your life, an experience that you may draw strength from in the days, weeks, and years after your children are born. What I’m hoping to inspire in you is the confidence to welcome your birth as the beginning of the most incredible adventure of your life.
So much love,
Named a Local Hero by the Santa Barbara Independent, Tracy gathers with some of the moms and babies that she has had the pleasure of supporting.
Tracy’s father with great grandchild Luna Mia
Tracy with her grandchild Cyrus.
I believe the mother's body has been perfectly created to give birth and nourish her baby.
— Tracy Schmidt
Natural Birth and its Benefits
"I was brand new to the area and heard wonderful things about Tracy. I serendipitously met her at the YMCA and was able to attend one of her birth courses. It was informative, encouraging, and eye-opening. She has been a wonderful source of help, support, and love since the birth of our little boy. I am so thankful for her in all aspects.”
— Tori
Some of Tracy’s Past Families
Kind words, recommendations, encouragement…
A hospital birth can truly still be your own and beautiful. Thanks so much Tracy for providing us with great knowledge going into our Cottage Hospital (first ever) birth!
— Joanna
Tracy is such a special human being. I was blessed to find her while being pregnant with my first child. Not only Tracy was a wise, knowledgeable teacher/instructor, she took personal care to walk my husband and in through a tough time during my pregnancy. She spent numerous hours on the phone with me and my husband, during my pregnancy and later childbirth and she wasn't even our doula or midwife. I can never thank her enough for giving me confidence and information for choosing a natural birth. It's the most beautiful and empowering experience I will have in my life.
—Alissa
My husband and I just finished our natural childbirth course series with Tracy. We found it extremely informative. She teaches you many techniques for coping with labor as well as building a strong community among the entire class. We gained a great deal of confidence about the labor and birth process. Tracy is truly devoted to helping people bring babies to the world and her love for her work shines through. She is so supportive and kind and we both feel so fortunate to know her and have her as a support throughout our journey! I highly recommend the course and think anyone who takes it will be glad they did.
—Kylene
If you are to do one thing for yourself as a future parent, sign up for Tracy's classes. I cannot recommend it enough.
I went to Tracy as a first-time, single mother, and she was such a blessing! There was so much I did not know, so many things I was not ready for, but even more importantly so many aspects of childbirth I had not thought about, let alone made decisions over.
Tracy is a gentle soul with a compassionate heart and so much knowledge about natural childbirth (so much!). I had opted for a hospital birth and thanks to the knowledge I had acquired in Tracy's classes, I knew what to expect and was able to be clear on what I wanted. Despite it being my first pregnancy, I was so confident in what was actually happening to my body and the different stages of labor, that it made the whole experience actually enjoyable. Yes, you read that right! I actually enjoyed childbirth and delivery! And it would have been a very different story without Tracy! I wish I had been braver and more trusting then and done a home birth. All I can add is if you go to Tracy, trust her and listen to her advice and guidance!
—Auriele
Tracy is amazing! She is so knowledgable and really is devoted to woman having the births they want. My husband and I learned SO much about pregnancy, birth and bonding with each other and baby. I highly recommend this course if you are even considering a natural drug free birth. My baby was born at the hospital but with no drugs. I used a lot of what we learned in Tracy's class in labor and after. I felt empowered and knew what I wanted and had the tools to have the birth I had dreamed of.
—Jayne
Tracy goes above and beyond! Great education, very personable, great knowledge to share and amazing follow up before and after we had our child. Thank you, Tracy!
—Malia
Tracy Schmidt is a godsend to first-time and growing families...she is a treasure trove of love, encouragement and education.
—Colleen
Signing up for Tracy’s class was one of the best things my husband and I did in preparation for the arrival of our little girl. Tracy is full of knowledge, experience and compassion. We were given a gift that we didn’t even know we needed until we had it—the opportunity for my husband and I to bond and connect on a deeper level and to really begin to set the foundation for our family. It’s amazing to look back and see that all that Tracy has to offer truly helped us through not only the birthing process but moving forward as a family as well! Thank you Tracy for sharing your passion with the world and for creating a community of moms and dads that truly support one another!
-Ali
Tracy is such a special human being. I was blessed to find her while being pregnant with my first child. Not only Tracy was a wise, knowledgeable teacher/instructor, she took personal care to walk my husband and in through a tough time during my pregnancy. She spent numerous hours on the phone with me and my husband, during my pregnancy and later childbirth and she wasn't even our doula or midwife. I can never thank her enough for giving me confidence and information for choosing a natural birth. It's the most beautiful and empowering experience I will have in my life.
— Anna
My husband and I had no idea about what we were doing, there's plenty of information around but having no experience it's difficult to know which info you can trust. Tracy really manages to provide accurate, up to date info but the most important thing is that she really guides you as a couple to push through your feelings and prepare. Through birth I really remember thinking of her advice and it worked! She also gives you a good start into parenting. What makes her classes so special is the fact that she really cares.
—Natali
Tracy is a wonderful mentor and educator for child birth. She is focused on natural births but her class can work for any birth you envision. She is a really wonderful teacher and the bonds we made through that class will never be forgotten. We are lucky to have her in our community.
—Melanie
We came away from this class feeling empowered. Tracy's decades of experience and expertise is made apparent in each session. She uses her gifts to scientifically educate her attendees while instilling confidence (and making each mom-to-be feel loved and more than capable!). We came away feeling so excited and, again, confident in our decision to attempt (and succeed in) a completely unmedicated childbirth since we knew what to expect in a variety of different potential circumstances that might arise. Moms will also come away feeling even more like a team with their husbands as both parties are well-prepared for the birth process. Thank you, Tracy! And, thank you for the awesome refresher course we just completed for the birth of our second!
—Juliann
Tracy's class was incredibly informative and enjoyable to be a part of. If you are doubting the value of taking classes, stop. They were worth every moment. Tracy not only prepared us for the unexpected, she informed us of all the things we didn't know and how to be involved and enjoy the experience without the traditional birth stresses. I cannot speak a higher recommendation for the teaching and guidance, but also the life long connections with new friends.
Two time Tracy Veteran and huge advocate.
—Noah
Tracy is perhaps one of the most important community educators in Santa Barbara as she thoroughly and compassionately educates expecting parents in the natural birthing process and postpartum. Her passion, dedication, experience and knowledge during a beautiful yet vulnerable time is transformative. My husband and I are so grateful to Tracy for all she has taught us during pregnancy, delivery and postpartum. And I know many who have benefited from her education. Tracy is a very well known and highly respected person in SB because she's earned the community's trust, love, and respect. I highly recommend Tracy to all parents.
—Vanessa
Tracy was my birth educator back in the 1980's...she is thoughtful, experienced, educated, calm, and the best choice for pre-natal and postpartum learning.
—Kathleen
This is the Best place for birth education in Santa Barbara!
Instructor Tracy Schmidt is beyond awesome, super friendly and offers so much hands on education, not just for moms, but families, and dads too. Tracy Schmidt is extremely knowledgeable and works wonderfully to bring a diverse amount of education to the women and families of Santa Barbara. Tracy Schmidt's classes were key in allowing me to achieve my birth goals, preventing a hospital transfer and c-section. With the tools and practical knowledge Tracy Schmidt gave us, I gave birth to a beautiful 7 lb 11oz baby girl at home. Completely natural!
—Ash
[My husband] Derek was a great help and greatly appreciated that the class taught him what to do and when, and that he recognized the different stages as Tracy described which helped guide him and which all ultimately helped me.
— Katie
What an incredible experience; My husband and I just moved from New York City to Ojai and were feeling quite behind in the birth education arena (while we had read so much about the birth process and had downloaded many apps on our phone) nothing came close to what we learned in Tracy's class.
Tracy's incredible knowledge of the birthing process can only come from someone as dedicated and experienced as her. We are excited for the birth process and feel incredibly prepared with knowledge and tangible tools. I only wish everyone could take her class.
—Satya
We were both absolutely in love with each class. They opened up both of our eyes and gave us so much information that we never knew existed. We have also met several wonderful couples throughout the class and it made it easier to learn what other couples experiences and struggles have been throughout the process. The couples exercises are amazing and helped to bring my husband and I closer then we have been in a long time. Every class is so different and we are sad that the series is over! Tracy is a great listener, and a wonderful, sweet, and caring person and we would highly recommend her class to anyone who is expecting a baby!
—Alissa
Tracy is warm and welcoming. She is so calming and positive. I met Tracy serendipitously after hearing about her birthing class from a friend. My husband and I had moved to Santa Barbara when I was 7 months pregnant and I wanted a natural birth. I was so glad to run into Tracy and able to take her Birth Intensive Course, which is a 5+ hour long course on a Saturday. It was a lot of information, but so helpful and informative to us newbies. It was the crash course we needed to feel prepared and ready for delivery. We were confident and knowledgable and Tracy is such a great resource for any questions even after birth. I have had the privilege of getting to know Tracy more since the birth of my son and work with her. I have enjoyed every moment and you should check out her new website to learn all about her and her classes!
—Gina
Tracy's natural childbirth class was the best thing my husband and I did In preparation for our baby. Through Tracy's guidance and expertise we learned things we didn't realize we needed until we had them-including the opportunity to bond in a whole new way before baby. I would definitely recommend Tracy's class to anyone expecting. Thank you Tracy for all of your dedication and love and for sharing your wealth of knowledge!
—Allison
I'd give 10 stars if I could!!!
My husband and I took Tracy's childbirth education class for my older daughter. It was nothing short of amazing. Seriously. I grew up in a home where discussions about birth were normal. But my husband knew literally nothing about childbirth. For him, the classes educated and empowered him. For our second child, we did the 1 day intensive refresher course. Again, sooo glad we did it. The class really focused on how your partner can best help relax mom during labor. We used many of the techniques during my actual labor and I found them extremely helpful. The classes are taught in a comfortable home setting. Tracy is a gift to the Santa Barbara community and I would HIGHLY recommend her classes to any pregnant mom.
—Dina
Tracy's class helped us so much before having our baby. She truly loves helping expectant parents and she goes above and beyond.
—Julia
In the world of Google where every website/practitioner can seem like a good fit, how do you sort through it all? How to determine who to trust with something as life changing as birth and as precious as a new life? My advice is to choose decades of experience over years. Birthing Foundations was the best money we ever spent, and it’s the best investment you can make into your family right now. It will repay many times over. I have referred back to my notes from Tracy dozens of times…and our son was born 18 months ago! I used to be scared of childbirth. With Nehemiah, I went into it confidently and joyfully. Choosing Every Birth Matters for our birth preparation was the best decision we made in our journey, without question.
-Jamie