2019 Babies Meetup
Are you having a baby in 2019? Have you already given birth in the first few weeks of the year? Join us for tea and a chat!

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Are you having a baby in 2019? Have you already given birth in the first few weeks of the year? Join us for tea and a chat!
It's time for our favorite annual Bright Birthing event: Birth + Beer!
Join us next Saturday, November 10 from 4-6 for a great big Bright Birthing reunion at Champion. In years past sometimes partners have shared their perspective on birth stories but all birthy talk and general catching up in welcome!
Jillian Lum (a Bright Birthing mama x2) will be sharing at this gathering about:
- Risks of a poorly regulated beauty industry and the burden on our toxic load
- Making the swap from conventional to clean products for the whole family
- Finding a quick (and clean) daily skincare and beauty routine for busy women/moms
Check out her page here: https://www.beautycounter.com/jillianlum
Have you been considering hiring a doula? Choosing one isn’t a decision that should be made lightly! Let us help you by providing an opportunity for moms to be and doulas to come together!
We will have eight doulas at the shop for you to meet with so that you can make an informed choice and choose a doula that is perfect match for you!
Advanced registration is required. Birth partners welcome as well.
Read more about the benefits of doulas here: https://www.dona.org/what-is-a-doula/benefits-of-a-doula/
Here is the list of amazing doulas that will be joining us!
1. Gwendolyn Bright
2. Sara Reimold
3. Maggie Williams
4. Hannah Shaughnessy-Mogill
5. Debbie Wong
6. Cynthia Jordan Fisher
7. Dianne Bearinger
8. Zoe Krylova
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/meet-the-doulas-tickets-48186834118?aff=efbeventtix
Join us at Sara's house for a potluck and sharing birth stories!
Come to Gwen's place to have a chat over tea. Kiddos welcome!
Join us for tea and a talk from acupuncturist Teslin Maclaren on how Traditional Chinese Medicine can be of benefit in the postpartum time.
From her website:
Teslin is a licensed massage therapist and acupuncturist, as well as a Lamaze childbirth educator. She was drawn to acupuncture and alternative healing because of her own experience dealing with the difficulties of ski injuries. Teslin has a passion for treating patients by helping them to live and move to full potential.
Art by Spirit y Sol - https://www.etsy.com/shop/StudioSpiritYSol?ref=l2-shopheader-name
Teslin has been practicing massage in Seattle, Washington since 2015, largely providing massage in-hospital to women following labor and delivery. She earned her Master’s of Science degree from Bastyr University in Kenmore, WA, where she received a focused training in Traditional Chinese Medicine, with an emphasis on Western Sciences. Personal experience with injury and academic choice led Teslin to resonate primarily with sports medicine and women’s health.
In an effort to provide wholistic care and help women feel more confident and prepared before, during, and after birth, Teslin became a certified childbirth educator and infant massage instructor.
Teslin is excited to work in a practice combining a variety of complementary modalities in order to provide maximum benefit to clientele.
Teslin has recently moved to Charlottesville from Seattle, and is enjoying exploring Virginia. In her free time, she enjoys being active with rock climbing, hiking, aerial arts and unicycling.
Meet us at Ix for the first Little Planets Kids & Nature Festival!
Join us for another Bright Birthing yoga picnic at Belmont Park! Sara Zia will lead a practice appropriate for pregnant folks, new parents and loved ones. Bring food or drinks to share or come as you are!
Join us again this year at Ix Art Park for MSC's Truck Touch! We'll have a table with Nine Moons Midwifery - just watch for the bubbles!
Join us for a potluck and a chance to grab some books from the Bright Birthing Lending Library.
Join us at Sweethaus for a special Spring Storytime! Gather at 10:15 to get coffee and treats, and settle in for Hannah reading books promptly at 10:30.
This year in addition to village circle each month (stay tuned here or on our facebook page for dates, speakers, themes, etc) we are excited to open our homes in 2018 for irregular, occasional Crappy Dinners!
A meme that totally speaks to busy parents, Crappy Dinners may be absolutely scrumptious and indeed not super crappy at all, the point being we will not go to great measures to clean our homes, we will not be showing off or entertaining. We plan to pull out frozen meals, request attendees show up with something to share, order pizza or something similarly casual.
Clean out your closets before spring starts and leave with a boost for your wardrobe!
Several years ago I had the pleasure of hearing Sister Morningstar speak. On multiple occasions I'd been moved by pieces she had written in Midwifery Today, none more so than this piece on what she calls Village Prenatals.
"The mothers come from near and far. They have a variety of birth plans and care providers. We are there to shower them with village attention and support and to bathe them in a sense of belonging and being cherished. The one inspiration and encouragement we echo over and over in our stories, on our walks, in our drumming and deliciously in our feasting is this: Trust your Instincts. Follow what makes sense to you. Do it your way. Take your time. Find a place of peace to make decisions. Speak your Truth. Find your Truth. Your body has all the right answers. No one has your knowing. Build your instincts. Trust your instincts."
My doula compatriots and I decided to bring that spirit to our clients and the greater community of childbearing folks in Charlottesville. Our version is a monthly gathering, open to all and free of charge where we share stories and support, often hosting speakers and folks with special skills and knowledge. Sometimes we have craft projects, meditations, picnics, classes - but always the spirit of supporting one another with validation and love. Details of location and topic will always be shared here on our facebook page!
A meme that totally speaks to busy parents, Crappy Dinners may be absolutely scrumptious and indeed not super crappy at all, the point being we will not go to great measures to clean our homes, we will not be showing off or entertaining. We plan to pull out frozen meals, request attendees show up with something to share, order pizza or something similarly casual.
Commensality - sharing a table, eating together - is an intimate and enlivening thing to do. We laugh, make a mess, nourish ourselves on so many levels when we eat together with other beloved grown-ups and kiddos. We may discuss our day, our concerns, what we've been binge-watching on Netflix, or just touch base with one another. We are looking forward to a year of deepening connections with each other and with you - if you are interested in hosting a Crappy Dinner at your place, let us know!
*Thanks to Sarah Struckmann and the Moms and Babies group at the Women’s Initiative for reminding us of the notion of Crappy Dinners, and this article from Mothering!
Join us at Gwen's to discuss this excellent book. If you have a chance to read it ahead of time, that's best: it's a excellent social history of doulas and exploration of the current scope and mission of the profession.
Join us to celebrate the end of the year with some yummy cookie-decorating (and eating)!
We'll gather at Sara's and we plan to provide all the basics for frosted sugar cookies, but we welcome anything you want to bring and share!
Join us for a harvest celebration potluck at Sara's house. There will be mulled wine, macaroni & cheese, plus the bounty of potluck: please bring something to share.
We are pleased to sponsor this year's Charlottesville area Artisans Studio Tour, which will include 45 artisans and their work in the spaces where they create it; learn why they create; and examine how they create. Consider making the Tour a two-day experience and enjoy other area offerings while you are here. What a great way to spend a fall weekend!
Join us for partners sharing birth stories, general appreciation of all things pregnancy, parenting, partnering and beer!
Please feel free to bring rootbeer, ginger beer, or beer beer!
Join us at Gwen's mom's house and farm for a picnic lunch and to enjoy the farm, animals, sandbox and playhouse. There are dogs, chickens, doves, quail, sunflowers, pumpkins and other great flora and fauna!
Join us at Steph's house for our monthly gathering of doulas, expectant and new parents and folks just looking to connect around pregnancy and parenting.
112 Blincoe Lane
Bring clothes you're ready to bid farewell; leave with a wardrobe refresher as we head into autumn!
Join us for our monthly gathering of doulas, clients, expectant and new families!
(Details TBA)
This month we'll gather for storytime, coloring and a garden tour at the home of one of Sara's yoga students. Join us with your kiddos!
Join Sara Zia for a childbirth education series at Winding River Birth Center. Contact her with questions or to register via sz3d@virginia.edu
Session 1: Birth is Safe
Session 2: Interventions: risks and benefits
Session 3: Stages of Labor/Ways labor can start/what to do
Session 4: Baby is here! What next?
Session 5: Coping Skills, Comfort Measures and Posture Support.
Current and former clients, expectant and new parents and birth workers of all kinds are welcome to join our monthly peer support gathering!
590 Tahoe Keys Blvd, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150