Why Constellations?

Welcome to Constellations Prenatal! We’ve outgrown our birth name but our passion for fun, informative, community-building prenatal classes continues to shine bright. We chose Constellations – the image of connected stars in a vast universe – because it evokes many ideas related to childbirth, parenthood, community and learning. Here are just a few of them…

We help people connect with each other.
We aim to teach in a way that empowers people to “connect the dots” with their own ideas and wishes.
We love the paradox of universality and uniqueness that is inherent to the experience of birth and new babies.
We believe in the need for constellations of support & community.
A constellation is the configuration of stars at the moment of one’s birth.
There is much that is understood scientifically about the stars and yet, the night sky inspires wonder and awe – just like birth and babies.

“The cosmos is within us. We are made of star stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself.”
-Carl Sagan

Your North Star for Prenatal Education

We have taught thousands of expectant parents and helped them to prepare for life with babies. Our classes and groups have kindled many friendships and connections among expectant and new parents.

We take pride in setting the standard for childbirth education in Victoria and our team works hard to keep our curriculum relevant, engaging, and fun. Being passionate educators, we are also dedicated learners, committed to continued professional development and education.

All of our instructors are Certified Childbirth Educators, Breastfeeding Educators and doulas. They are trained to provide up-to-date, evidence-based classes in a comfortable, accessible and interactive environment. Outside of teaching, they are all involved with the local community in various aspects of birth work, lactation support and postpartum care.

We hope you enjoy classes with us!

Meet Our Birth Nerds

Pamela Bethel

Director, Co-Owner, Instructor

Pamela (she, her) lives with one of her partners and their teenage son in Fernwood. She loves reading, various creative outputs, and spending quality time with loved ones. She recently took up pole dancing, mostly so she could hear her in-laws say, “you took up what?”

Pamela has been a doula since 2014 and a childbirth educator since 2015. The challenges and rewards of birth work continue to engage and surprise her.

Melissa Harris

Director, Co-Owner, Instructor

Melissa (she, her) is a proud hockey mom, which forms a large part of her identity. Being a mom to three boys, she loves everything pink, is an avid Swifty, and enjoys reading romance novels to the point that she operates a bookstagram account. 

Melissa has been a birth doula since 2011, supporting over 200 families at their births, and a teacher at MTC since 2015. Helping families navigate their birth journey and lower anxiety is a huge motivator in her work.

Corinne Bargen

Instructor

Corinne (she, her) lives with her husband and three young adult sons and her parents on a flower farm on the peninsula in W̱SÁNEĆ territory. She is loving this new stage of parenting young adults! When not supporting new families, she can be found in the garden, walking beaches, hiking mountains or practicing agility with her Australian Shepherd.

Corinne has been a birth & postpartum doula and breastfeeding educator since 2011. She has been teaching at MTC since early 2020. Those early teaching days were spent on Zoom in a tiny home office in her house. Teaching in person is still always such a treat!

Danielle Ryzuk

Instructor

Danielle (she, her) lives with her husband and three sons in Saanich.  She spends most of her free time hanging out with her family, exploring the lower island on her motorcycle, and desperately trying to finish reading her book club book before the next meeting.

Danielle has been a teacher at MTC since 2019 and a postpartum doula since 2023.  She describes teaching prenatal families as one of the most fun and fulfilling aspects of her career.

Jasmine Robertson

Instructor

Jasmine (she/her) always has a knitting project on the go, hosts a craft circle, and tries to be a brave winter ocean swimmer. Her favourite parts of living in Victoria are the native wildflowers in spring, camping on Gulf islands, and treats from the numerous excellent bakeries around town. You’ll usually find her cycling to Constellations from her home in Fairfield.

Jasmine started teaching at Constellations in January 2025, and has worked as a birth and postpartum doula since 2021. The most rewarding aspect of teaching families is seeing their confidence grow and their anxiety lessen by the end of the classes. 

Our History

In 2004, Eva Bild started Mothering Touch in a tiny storefront at Oak Bay Junction.  We moved downtown in 2008, where we stayed until 2022. That year, we closed our retail shop to focus solely on education. Longtime teachers Pamela Bethel and Melissa Harris took on leadership roles and reopened our new classroom at 733 Johnson Street. In 2025 we became Constellations. We continue to set the standard for fun, informative, up-to-date prenatal classes.

Eva Bild

Founder of Mothering Touch
evabild.ca

Eva (she, her) lives with her husband in Fairfield. They have two cats, three adult children, and one beautiful grandchild! Besides caring for her extended family, Eva sings and volunteers with a local choir. She is also a somewhat obsessive knitter.

Eva has been working with new families in Victoria since 1994. She is deeply happy to see her work continue in the hands of a new generation of teachers, and is honoured to be able to support families in our community with lactation and sleep consulting.