Evidence Based Methods for Mindful Birth™

The Nona Mindful Birth Education course integrates:

  • The best and most recent evidence
  • 20+ years of practical experience from a doula and childbirth educator, and expertise from a Licensed Professional Counselor specializing in perinatal mental health.
  • A holistic approach to pain management that integrates coping skills to address the physiological, cognitive, and emotional aspects of labor and birth.
  • Partner support for making sure that birthing parents feel supported and partners have the skills they need to offer effective support.
  • Realistic postpartum expectations
Watch Intro Video

Meet Erica and learn about the course

Natural, Low Intervention, Medicated, Not Sure?

We've got you covered.

Nona doesn't discriminate.  

We know that parents report the best outcomes when they feel safe, supported, and that they were mutual decision-makers in their care.  

Nona classes provide you with the skills for navigating all types of birth and to understand the trade-offs of choosing intervention or pharmacological pain relief.

Nona classes are trusted and have been recommended by Midwives, OBGYNs, and Family Practice Physicians repeatedly over the course of 20 years.

Here's What You'll Get From the Course:

  • Practical strategies for birthing parents and partners! You'll have the information you need to feel prepared for your birth no matter how it unfolds.

  • A clear view of birth from the first contraction to the last. Erica will walk you through the phases and stages of labor and help you integrate what to expect. You'll even learn about laboring at home and when to go to the hospital if that's your preference.

  • Effective, holistic strategies for pain management. Nona Classes not only teach pain management skills, we also make sure parents understand how to conceptualize pain for effective coping.

  • You'll have access to the course for a full 9 months! That means that you can take the course and go back and review as often as you like.

  • Stream your class from anywhere! You can stream our HD content from your laptop, phone, Ipad, or even your TV.

  • Realistic expectations for your postpartum physical and emotional recovery including how to recognize the red flags of postpartum mood and anxiety disorders and know when to get help.

Watch Intro Video

Watch this Free Preview!

Click on each chapter to see previews and learning objectives

    1. Welcome to Nona Mindful Birth Education

      FREE PREVIEW

    2. Orientation to the Course

    1. Learning Objectives Chapter 1

      FREE PREVIEW

    2. Physiological Birth

    3. Evidence Based Care

    4. Care Providers & Models of Care

    5. Birth Plan

    6. Introduction to Mindfulness

    7. Practicing Mindfulness

    1. Learning Objectives Chapter 2

      FREE PREVIEW

    2. Early Labor (Stage 1)

    3. Active Labor (Stage 1)

    4. Pushing (Stage 2)

    5. Immediate Postpartum (Stage 3)

    1. Learning Objectives Chapter 3

      FREE PREVIEW

    2. What are you coping with while in labor?

    3. Introduction to Non-Pharmacological Pain Management

    4. Hormonal Physiology of Birth

    5. Mindfulness as a Coping Tool

    6. Introduction to Partner Support

    7. Partner Support

    8. Labor Support Language

    9. Comfort Measures

    10. Labor Positions

    11. Putting it All Together

    1. Learning Objectives Chapter 4

      FREE PREVIEW

    2. Informed Consent

    3. BRAND

    4. Trade-offs of Interventions

    5. Routine Interventions

    6. Pharmacological Pain Management

    7. Assisted Delivery & Cesarean Section

    1. Learning Objectives Chapter 5

      FREE PREVIEW

    2. Postpartum Mental Health

    3. Physiological Recovery

    4. Congratulations! You've completed the course.

About this course

  • $195.00
  • 36 lessons
  • 5.5 hours of video content

Nona Classes are Developed with Years of Expertise.

The Nona Mindful Birth Education course is taught by Erica Kroll and integrates her 20+ years of experience supporting parents as a doula, childbirth educator, and prenatal yoga instructor; and 10 years as a perinatal counselor. 


In this course, Erica helps parents develop trust in their resiliency to move through birth and early postpartum no matter how these events unfold.


Parents are guided through the process of birth from the first contraction to the last.  Along the way, parents will learn essential tools for partner support, pain management, mindfulness skills, and communication skills for navigating policy and procedure.


All of this and more allows parents to feel empowered, confident, and informed as they approach this significant life transition.

Erica Kroll, LPC (she/her)

Childbirth Educator, Trainer, and Professional Counselor

Erica began working in reproductive support and education in 1999, beginning with a doula training through Doulas of North America (DONA). While working as a doula, she worked for WIC in the Boone County Health Department, offering individual peer counseling and she developed a curriculum for breastfeeding education and support classes. 

In 2000 Erica trained in mindfulness-based prenatal yoga and support with Robin Sale of Whole Birth Resources. In 2003 she went on to study with Dr. Gayle Peterson to become certified in Birth Educational Counseling and Body-Centered Hypnosis. 

Erica completed a Master’s Degree in Counseling and a minor in Women’s and Gender Studies from the University of Missouri Columbia in 2010. She also earned her professional license working with victims of sexual and intimate partner violence. 

In 2012 Erica founded Nona Birth Education & Counseling to integrate her professional experience and training to provide mindfulness-based classes, therapy, and group support to mid-Missouri families and trainings for birth and mental health professionals nation wide. As a professional counselor, Erica specializes in meeting the specific needs of pregnant and postpartum families as well as general counseling for concerns such as anxiety, trauma recovery, depression, and life adjustment.

We are always working towards being more inclusive...

Erica is a dedicated ally to the LGBTQ and BIPOC communities.  The language used in Nona classes is mostly gender-neutral acknowledging that many childbearing families consist of queer and trans parents.  

Overt and implicit bias are major problems in obstetrical care and contribute to disparities in outcomes, especially for black parents.  It is our hope that the information in the Nona classes is used to help parents navigate systems that are oppressive to birthing parents and to providers who would like to provide inclusive and evidence-based care.

Closed captions and/or transcripts of all videos will be included in the course soon.