Oakland Acupuncture Specialist
Dr. Brianna Darcey, DAIM, LAc, RN
Preparing for a C-Section:
A Practical Guide for Parents
A practical C-section birth education class in Oakland plus a downloadable guide to help parents prepare for surgery, newborn care, and recovery.
If you’re preparing for a planned or scheduled C-section, this class and guide walk through what to expect before surgery, what the operating room experience is like, and how to prepare for recovery afterward.
C-Section Birth Education Class
This small-group class walks through what the experience of a cesarean birth is typically like, step by step.
The goal is to help parents feel informed, calm, and able to advocate for the kind of birth experience they want while still working closely with their medical team.
In the class we discuss:
• what happens in the hours before surgery
• the operating room environment and who will be there
• meeting your baby in the OR and early bonding
• newborn medications offered after birth
• questions you can ask your OB, anesthesiologist, and pediatric team
• practical preparation for the first weeks of recovery
The class is designed for parents who know they will have a scheduled C-section as well as those who want to understand the experience in case a cesarean birth becomes part of their plan.
Upcoming In-Person Classes
Sun, July 12, 2026
East Bay Birth Collective in Oakland
1:00–4:00 PM
Registration includes the full C-section preparation guide as well as time for questions and discussion.
Note About Virtual Classes
At the moment, the class is offered in person only. I don’t currently offer a recorded or virtual version, though that’s something I may add in the future.
In the meantime, the downloadable guide includes much of the same material for parents who prefer to review the information on their own.
Downloadable Guide
For parents who are not able to attend the class or who would prefer to review the material on their own, I also created a downloadable C-section preparation guide.
The guide grew out of the handouts I created for the class and is designed to walk parents through the experience of a cesarean birth in a calm and practical way.
The guide includes:
• hospital packing list
• C-section birth preferences template
• explanation of newborn medications
• questions for your care team
• acupressure points for anxiety and nausea
• recovery planning for the first weeks postpartum
• trusted perinatal resources
Preparing for a C-Section Guide
Instant PDF Download $40
Why I teach this
Before becoming a doctor of acupuncture, I worked as a Labor & Delivery nurse in the hospital for nearly ten years.
During that time I saw many families heading into a C-section with a lot of medical information about the procedure itself, but very little preparation for the experience of the birth and the early hours after meeting their baby.
I created this class — and later the guide — to help fill that gap.
My goal is to help parents feel more prepared, more informed, and more connected to the experience of meeting their baby, regardless of how the birth unfolds.