Happy Summer from Crafted Birth!

Happy Summer!

… ok, it’s not actually summer. We had snow here last week. But we’re looking forward to warm weather and gearing up for our summer classes (plus a ton of great events coming up fast)!

Upcoming Crafted Birth Classes

Six-Week Childbirth Ed Series

$90 per couple for 6 Weeks

This class series covers all aspects of pregnancy, labor and delivery, and postpartum care. We cover both medicated and non-medicated pain management, basic newborn care and feeding, and practical skills for a healthy postpartum period. This class is ideal for pregnant women and their support people (partner, friend, parent, doula, etc.) in their second or third trimester. (If mom is due VERY soon, please contact Mollie to discuss scheduling a private session.)

Northampton Location:  Saturdays June 14—August 2, 10am-12pm (no class July 5 or July 19).

Amherst Location:  Thursdays July 17—August 21, 6pm-8pm.

Dedicated Breastfeeding Class

$30 per couple ($25 if booked with 6-week series)

In this hands-on class, parents will practice proper latch and breastfeeding positions with a custom “Latch” doll. We also discuss the anatomy and physiology of breastfeeding, common problems that occur while mom and baby are learning to nurse, and how to express milk and introduce a bottle to a breastfed baby.

Northampton Location:  Saturday August 9, 10am-12pm.

Amherst Location:  Thursday August 28, 6pm-8pm.

Newborn Care Class

$30 per couple ($25 if booked with 6-week series)

This practical class is meant for first-time parents or those parents who need to refresh their newborn care skills. We will cover newborn anatomy, appearance, and behavior, sleep safety (including co-sleeping, bed-sharing, and solo-sleeping), and ways to calm a crying baby. We practice diapering, bathing, and swaddling an infant, safely securing a newborn in a car-seat, and wearing a baby in several types of carriers.

Northampton Location:  Saturday August 16, 10am-12pm.

Amherst Location:  Thursday September 4, 6pm—8pm

Other Fun Things …

May is Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month. All month long we’ll be Facebook-sharing resources and information about preventing and dealing with perinatal (prenatal and postpartum) mood disorders like postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety.

Meet the Doula Day at Grow (150 Main Street, 3^rd Floor, Northampton, MA), Thursday May 1, 6pm-8pm. Learn about local resources, find answers to your questions, and meet other pregnant families in a fun atmosphere. FREE and open to the public.

Birth Without Fear Boston Meet-up. Mollie from Crafted Birth and Courtney Shea Porter, a wonderful doula from Central Mass, will be traveling to Boston on July 19 for the Birth Without Fear Meet-up. We’ll hear wonderful speakers and participate in important discussions about our pregnancy journeys, informed choice, and tools for healing in the postpartum period and throughout motherhood. I am so excited to be part of this amazing day! (And there are still spaces available!)

Finally, what have you learned about birth from TV? You may not know that Mollie used to work for Nickelodeon, and is a little obsessed with how we learn to be mothers by what we see in movies. Mollie put together some of her favorite moments from TV teaching us “how to have a baby”:

Have a great day, and enjoy this unpredictable spring weather!

Best,

Mollie Hartford, CCE

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Our Philosophy

We focus on informed decision-making and evidence-based information, taking time to discuss the risks and benefits of all aspects of the parents’ birth preferences. This is not a "natural birth" or a "medicated birth" class series; rather we help mom and partner decide what kind of birth they want, guide them through the questions to ask themselves and their care provider, and give them the skills they need to achieve their best birth experience.

Scheduling and billing the Breastfeeding and Newborn Care classes separately provides flexibility and respect for all parents -- we won't make them sit through (or pay for) a breastfeeding class if they cannot or are choosing not to breastfeed, or attend a newborn care class if this is their second baby.

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Serving Adams, Agawam, Amherst, Ashfield, Athol, Barre, Becket, Belchertown, Bernardston, Blandford, Brookfield, Buckland, Charlemont, Cheshire, Chester, Chesterfield, Chicopee, Colrain, Conway, Cummington, Dalton, Deerfield, East Longmeadow, Easthampton, Erving,Florida, Gill, Goshen, Grandby, Grandville, Great Barrington, Greenfield, Hadley, Hampden, Hardwick, Hatfield, Hawley, Heath, Hinsdale, Holyoke, Huntington, Lanesborough, Lee, Lenox, Leverett, Leyden, Longmeadow, Ludlow, Middlefield, Monroe, Monson, Montague, Monterey, Montgomery. New Braintree. New Salem, North Brookfield, Northampton, Northfield, Orange, Otis, Palmer, Pelham, Peru, Petersham, Phillipston, Pittsfield, Plainfield, Richmond, Rowe, Royalston, Russell, Savoy, Shelburne, Shutesbury, South Hadley, Southampton, Southwick, Springfield, Stockbridge, Sturbridge, Sunderland, Tolland, Tyringham, Ware, Warren, Warwick, Warwick, Washington, Wendell, West Brookfield, West Springfield, West Stockbridge, Westfield, Whately, Wilbraham, Williamsburg, Windsor, Worthington