Empowerment through education: how virtual classes can support women on their motherhood journey

Susan Hogan, co-founder and chief education officer of the live online education provider The Baby Academy, tells Femtech World how online classes can empower parents to make the best decisions during pregnancy, labour and after birth.

As a clinical midwife manager in a large maternity hospital in Ireland, Susan Hogan discovered a strong passion for antenatal education for parents.

“I’ve always believed that parents of all socio-economic backgrounds should have access to comprehensive and evidence-based information to make informed decisions about childbirth,” Hogan tells me when we speak on video call.

So when her now co-founders, Tom and Brian McGovern, reached out to her in 2019 seeking advice for their new venture, The Baby Academy, she was excited by the idea of digitising the antenatal experience.

“There are many barriers women face when it comes to accessing parenting support. A lot of parents postpone support or simply avoid accessing support because they think their problems aren’t that important.

“By joining The Baby Academy, I wanted to truly make a difference in parental education in the area of childbirth and parenting.”

Now a leading provider of pre- and post-natal knowledge, The Baby Academy offers a range of online classes delivered by experienced healthcare professionals, supporting over one million new parents across Ireland, the UK, the US and Canada.

The instructors, carefully selected following a long recruitment process, include specialists in the area of midwifery, lactation, paediatrics, perinatal mental health and sleep, says Hogan.

The team provide more than 40,000 hours of live and interactive online classes every month and the reason they are so popular is because women see the value in them.

“When expectant parents receive evidence-based and up-to-date education, they become better informed and start asking questions. That in return reduces stress and anxiety levels,” she explains.

“It also reduces the unnecessary visits to the hospital. It helps women, but it also helps the medical system.”

After hitting one million registered users, the company says it does not rule out future partnerships with national health systems, including the NHS in England. It already does that with a number of hospitals in the US.

“Partnering with the NHS or GPs is something we are definitely considering,” says Hogan.

“I think that transition would be really exciting for us to explore. One of our big aims is to support the health systems in the countries we operate in and working with them would be an amazing opportunity.”

If she could pick only one thing she loves about The Baby Academy, the co-founder says it has to be empowering parents through education.

“By learning and attending our classes women start feeling calmer, more confident, and more in control of their pregnancy and their parenting journey. And that, I think, is what will stick with them for a lifetime.”