"There are some new ideas about childbirth that are thousands of years old." So says Jennifer Huddleston, co-owner with Kelli Way, of the Birth Source, a 6-month-old business dedicated to providing informed choices about motherhood--before, during and after birth.

Way and Huddleston met in a study group organized by the International Childbirth Education Assn. in Los Angeles. Both are certified childbirth educators and both had heard horror stories told by women about their birthing experiences. "All of the women I spoke to told of hellish experiences they did not want to repeat," said Way, a mother of six.

After five years of participating in hospital, birth center and home births, Way and Huddleston decided they wanted to educate women to take charge of the births of their babies and, Huddleston said, "show women that if they can be in charge of the birth, they could handle motherhood too."

The Birth Source was born.

Husbands, family and friends helped to turn an ordinary store on La Cienega Boulevard into a cozy office arrangement and space for a birth plan workshop, baby care classes that include baby massage, and various other classes offered free as a community service. There is also a reception area where anyone can walk in and buy books and hard-to-find products such as herbal sitz baths for new mothers.

Three-thousand years ago, pregnant women would not have attended birth classes, but they did have birth rituals, which included experienced women helping the new mother in her transition from pregnancy to parenthood. Huddleston and Way call those women "labor support providers" or "labor coaches."

"Most labors and births are healthy, normal events which should center on the emerging family and require a minimum of medical intervention," Huddleston said. "We nurture the woman with physical comforts and emotional support. We're not there to make medical decisions."

When a pregnant woman comes to the Birth Source, she meets with Way and talks about enrolling in the birth class. "We see if there's a fit. If the woman wants a lot of information and control, then she'll probably like our class. If she doesn't really want to know and gives total control over to her doctor, then she wouldn't like the class," Way said.

If a couple decide they also want labor support, Way and Huddleston meet in the couple's home close to the delivery date and discuss the couple's expectations.