Welcoming a new family member into the world can be an exciting time for expectant parents. As many parents can attest, there is no feeling like holding your baby for the first time.
That excitement, however, is often matched with nerves, especially for first time parents who have many questions about what they are about to experience. How do I prepare for birth and postpartum? Can I breastfeed? How do I set my child up for success in their first year? What safety techniques do I need to understand? The list of questions goes on...
...and the Maternal Child Education (MCE) department at Renown Health is here to answer them and set parents up for success with their new bundle of joy
Access to childbirth education is not only a priority for patients at Renown; it’s also key to a healthy birth, healthy parent and healthy baby. Within our very own community, maternal and child health was identified as a 2025-2027 community benefit priority in Renown’s Community Health Needs Assessment. Our MCE team members play a crucial role in that focus area as Renown strives to ensure access to high quality and affordable care.
Every lesson that is taught by our MCE department is backed by evidence-based practices. In other words, the information you learn isn’t just from personal experience. You also receive valuable insight from educators who have spent time diligently researching and practicing those science-proven methods.
“As a Maternal Child Educator, the work requires a significant amount of lesson preparation, practice and staying on top of the latest evidenced based data and research,” said Rachel Barnett, MPH, Childbirth Educator. “The work is important because it provides evidence-based education and options to families so that they can make the most informed decisions for themselves. Our lessons provide the education, resources and understanding to help families build a healthy foundation. I really enjoy the bi-directional learning that happens during our lessons and watching people leave more empowered.”
“Our team is committed to providing evidence-based information for birth and breastfeeding as well as a variety of other services,” added Sarah Ortega, Lactation Specialist. “The educators empower families to make the decisions that are right for them with confidence. When teaching families prenatally, they are able to have a good baseline of breastfeeding information and knowledge that they can more readily pull from after they have their baby. I believe it makes the patient experience much more positive.”
All that knowledge and practice you gain + caring MCE team members who devote their professional lives to childbirth education = improved health outcomes for you and your baby.
“A day in Maternal Child Education always begins with one purpose in mind: helping families feel supported, prepared and connected to the best possible care,” said Chris Marlo, Childbirth Educator. “I spend time developing or refining patient education materials—anything from handouts on safe sleep to presentations on labor preparation—because every detail matters. The classes I teach is where the heart of the work happens: answering questions, easing fears and giving parents knowledge they can trust.”
“We strive to educate Nevada's women and families,” added Sofia Graham Perea, Childbirth Educator. “We love to teach and allow you all to know what we have to offer. A woman that has experienced a beautiful birth makes for healthy outcomes all together.”
So, what are these evidence-based lessons, anyway? Let’s look at the free classes our MCE team offers (many of which will soon be offered in Spanish as well):
Fun fact: Renown was the first to bring the new Spinning Babies birth model to the state of Nevada!
“I love preparing for the classes I teach,” said Claire Murdoch, Childbirth Educator. “I am constantly doing research and updating my classes to ensure my students receive the best information. I love thinking of new activities to help students learn in an interactive way. I am also proud that we have started offering our classes for free and are incorporating virtual classes so that they are more accessible to the community.”
“I continue to study, striving to become more proficient in my role as Renown's Spanish speaking educator and am now becoming a Lamaze educator trainee,” added Sofia Graham Perea, Childbirth Educator. “I am so proud of the women I work with and how Renown is striving to have an array of Spanish classes for our community here in Reno.”
With infant mortality rates on the rise, now is the time to intervene to improve maternal and child health outcomes. Our MCE department understands this deeply. Birth and postpartum have a significant impact on the health of babies and families in our community. Education is a vital part of preparing all expecting parents, and our educators empower all the families they work with to take an active role in their health.
“Since birth and parenthood are foundational factors that form the family unit, and the family structure is the basis of community, our work is of utmost importance to build a healthier Nevada,” said Sharon Mayo, Childbirth Educator.
“We believe that healthy communities begin with healthy moms and babies, so we focus on providing education that empowers families to make safe, informed choices,” added Chris Marlo. “Whether it’s teaching childbirth and newborn care, offering safety classes or connecting parents with lactation, mental health or specialty care resources, everything we do is designed to give families a strong foundation.”
When you think about what makes a good parent, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?
For many, it’s kindness, care and compassion. The latter just so happens to be one of Renown’s core values, and it’s a value the MCE team members hold close to their hearts. Compassion comes naturally to them.
“We are all passionate educators concerned with the welfare of our birthing community,” said Sharon Mayo. “Compassion drives our desire to prepare our birthers for the major life events upon which they are about to embark. We aspire for excellence in all that we do, considering the gravity of our responsibility.”
“This work is a labor of love and devotion to each family to provide the education and resources they need to have the birth and breastfeeding journey they desire,” added Sarah Ortega.
One big reason why compassion comes so easily to this team is because many of them are parents themselves. That first-hand experience plays a significant part in their approach to child education.
“Almost all of us are mothers, so as we work with parents-to-be, we empathize with them because we know what they have gone through and how to guide them through their birth,” said Sofia Graham Perea.
Leading with compassion goes hand-in-hand with Renown’s People First culture, a mindset that the MCE department swears by. To them (as well as our other care teams), being a People First team means putting the patient and their family's needs at the forefront while taking care of each other along the way.
“I interpret People First as meaning that care should be evidence based and adapted to the individual and their unique needs," said Rachel Barnett, MPH. “Our education and lessons do just that. We teach about the delivery of care and prioritize the individual's history and needs. For example, it is very common for couples to ask about adaptations to care or ask us to provide information about their values derived from their history, and we find ways to ensure those values are centered in their delivery or postpartum plan.”
“Every expecting family’s experience of birth and postpartum is unique, and that is something I try to instill the most into my students,” added Claire Murdoch. “There is no ‘one-size-fits-all' approach to this time of life. Everybody has different health histories, experiences and preferences. That's why I teach my students how to make informed decisions that feel right for them in collaboration with their healthcare team. To increase positive outcomes for our families at Renown, we have to prioritize caring for the individual needs of each family.”
Education for pregnancy, childbirth and parenting is rooted in both compassion and collaboration. Those values drive their knowledge and care philosophies – and now, they have the opportunity to share those skills with others.
“I had the privilege of learning from some of the very best in the field, and the education and mentorship I received during those years shaped not only my skills but also my heart for this work,” said Chris Marlo. “Now, one of the things I am most proud of is being able to pass that same support and mentorship forward by helping new educators grow in confidence. Compassion guides how we support families through pregnancy and parenting, and collaboration with providers and community partners ensures they receive the best possible care. When we lead with those values, excellence naturally follows.”
Chris is exactly right. When you care, you communicate better. When you communicate better, you serve your patients (and each other) better. When you serve better, we all win.
“Having a baby isn’t something you do alone – it takes a whole team,” said Stevie Poehland, Childbirth Education Coordinator. “Your partner, your providers, your nurses and your educators all bring something important to the experience. We feel so grateful when families invite us to be part of that team, and we take that role to heart. More than anything, we want you to feel supported and to look back on your birth as a positive, meaningful experience.”
When it comes to childbirth education, Renown’s MCE team members have a deep-rooted passion for this work. To them, this isn’t just their career; it’s their life. You can feel that strong passion as soon as you walk into their classrooms.
Many of these employees felt compelled to dedicate their career to educating parents and parents-to-be for a diverse variety of reasons, from being moms of children with unique needs to feeling inspired to improve each parent’s postpartum experience.
“From the very beginning of my career, I felt called to walk alongside women and families through the most transformative moments of their lives: pregnancy, birth and the journey into parenthood,” said Chris Marlo. “My background spans decades of teaching, coordinating programs and mentoring educators, but what has always anchored me is a deep passion for helping moms feel informed, confident and supported. I chose Maternal Child Education because I believe knowledge is empowering. When a mom understands her body, her baby, and her choices, she steps into labor with a sense of strength and calm that can completely reshape her experience. Over the years, I’ve taught countless classes, created new programs, and built resources that meet families where they are.”
“I have been working in lactation for approximately 16 years and have been an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) for six years; I started on this path when my youngest was about a year old," added Sarah Ortega. “He was born with a cleft lip and palate, making my breastfeeding journey very different than it had been with my older children. I was fortunate to have a lactation consultant that helped me along the way. I started working with her and eventually decided to pursue a career in lactation."
“Through my work as a Birth Doula, I saw how vital childbirth education is to prepare for a positive birth and postpartum experience,” added Claire Murdoch. “Because of this need I saw, I became a childbirth educator so that I could not only better prepare my current students but also reach many more expecting parents through teaching classes. I genuinely love what I do and feel we are making a real impact on the people we teach.”
Seeing a growing need, the MCE team is always looking to enhance their knowledge so that expecting parents and families are set up for success in their birth and parenting journeys.
“As it turned out, Maternal Health chose me,” said Sharon Mayo. “The need was great, and the workers were few. I volunteered to help. That sent me on a journey that now exceeds four decades. As the years have passed, the profession has become increasingly more refined with certification requirements in most, if not all, of its fields. Throughout the years, I have attained certification as a Childbirth Educator (ICEA), Birth Doula (DONA), Lactation Counselor (AAPP) and Spinning Babies Educator (SpBCPE).”
“I have a master’s in public health with a concentration in maternal and child health,” added Rachel Barnett, MPH. “I’ve always been interested and passionate about maternal and child health, therefore it feels natural for me to choose Maternal Child Education."
And that knowledge and practice have served them well. These team members constantly inspire each other. Instead of a challenging cycle, it’s a vibrant cycle: they learn, they bring their skills to the floor, their coworkers are inspired to learn even more,and the cycle repeats.
“I have observed my colleagues become more familiar with teaching at Renown, and I am in awe from what I continue to learn from the educators around me,” said Sofia Graham Perea.
With our MCE team members, no expectant parent is ever alone in their parenting journey. They are here to hold their hands – and their baby’s tiny palms – every step of the way.
“This isn’t just a job for me – it’s a mission. I’ve seen how fear can weigh on expectant mothers, and I’ve also witnessed the transformation when they’re given encouragement, tools and evidence-based guidance. That’s why I’ve devoted myself to Maternal Child Education: because every mom deserves to enter labor not only cared for but empowered,” closes Chris Marlo.
