BIRTH ♥ JOURNEYS

Breast Feeding Class & Pediatrician

2011-11-23T15:46:00.001-05:00

We are SUPER excited to be offering a breast feeding class following our January Newborn Care Class. Starting January 26th our Newborn Care class will be split between two nights with local pediatrician Dr. Alyssa Parker visiting on the second night. Then the following Thursday (2/9/11) we will be offering a Breast Feeding Class with Sally MacFayden.
Please contact us to register for either class as spots are filling!

Doulas We Recommend

2011-09-19T20:53:00.010-04:00

While we would like the opportunity to meet and work with everyone, this is not always possible. As a group we only take a certain number of clients to ensure that you always get a well rested doula. We also recognize that being at your birth is an invitation to an intimate event and your doula should be a good match for you.

In an effort to secure a professional doula that is a good match for any woman who wants that support, we recommend the following doulas:

Susan Cline Lucey (susanclinelucey@gmail.com)

Sally MacFayden (thefourthtrimester@gmail.com)

Rachel Stanton (rachelstant@gmail.com)

Juliana Marton (julianaemarton@gmail.com)

Kathryn Biggam (kathryn.biggam@gmail.com)

Some of these doulas may be completing their training and may be working for a reduced rate.

Now Accepting Credit Cards!

2011-08-23T23:32:00.001-04:00

Birth Journeys has made the leap and is now accepting credit cards. Why did we decide to do this?
We feel that personal choice is important to us for all of our clients in every way. We had heard from more than one family that this was a desirable option, and we recently came to understand that employers that offer flex accounts for healthcare costs not covered by insurance may consider doula services an eligible expense. So check with your employer about services that may be available to you and let us know if you'd like us to email you an invoice for online payment through Pay Pal!

A cloth diaper service here in Burlington starting in mid June!!

2011-04-06T10:15:00.001-04:00

The name is Smarty Pants. The owner, a lovely lady :) Check out her promotional video... the cutest thing EVER!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ag_hJNZDzSU

Smarty Pants Cloth Diaper Service

Continuous Labor Support Reduces Risk of Cesarean Section and Other Adverse Outcomes in Women and Newborns

2011-02-16T13:00:00.003-05:00

http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Continuous-Labor-Support-Reduces-Risk-Cesarean-Section-Other-Adverse-Outcomes-Women-1397061.htm

Insurance reimbursement

2011-02-11T09:39:00.002-05:00

VT insurance companies that currently cover postpartum care under the Better Beginnings Program are Catamount and Blue Cross/Blue Shield. The more requests that insurance companies receive to cover birth services, the more likely they are to cover them. Some families have found that they are able to pay for doula services with their HSA.

If you are a client of an insurance company that offers the Better Beginnings program, you need to register by your 34th week.

From 'The Doula Guide to Birth' By Ananda Lowe and Rachel Zimmerman. Pg. 101
Insurance Companies that have reimbursed clients for doula care in the past include:

*Aetna
*Baylor Health Care System
*Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association
*Cigna
*Elmcare
*Fortis
*Great-West Life & Annuity
*Humana
*Maritime Life
*Oschner HMO
*Oxford
*Prudential
*Travelers
*United Healthcare

We have a set of documents that will support your reimbursement request. Please email us to request these documents.

Documents Available Upon Request

2011-02-11T09:33:00.002-05:00

We have created a volume of documents for your convenience.
Please let us know if you have a particular interest and we can email them to you.

"I Love U" Massage
Baby Wearing
Belly Dance For Birth
Bottle Feeding
Breast feeding
Car Seats
Caring For Babies Bodies
Circumcision
Co-Sleeping
Community Activities
Fevers
Healing After Baby
Home-Made Baby Food
Insurance Reimbursement Support Documents
Introducing Foods
Is Baby Eating Enough?
Natural Induction
Newborn Constipation
Newborn Sleep
Postpartum Depression
Postpartum Resources
Sample Birth wishes
SIDS Prevention
The Benefits of Touch
The Diaper Debate
Tips For Birth Partners
Umbilical Care

Discount Packages

2011-01-28T12:09:00.001-05:00

Because we provide a wide range of services and many of our clients use more than one, we offer a variety of discount packages.

The services that are available for package

discounts are: Newborn Care classes, Childbirth

Education Classes, Labor & Birth doula services and Postpartum doula services. We also offer a special discount for our repeat Labor & Birth clients.

Please contact us to discuss your particular interest!!

Genie, Jenna, Amy & Rebecca

Homebirth Education classes

2011-01-17T21:39:00.003-05:00

Homebirth Education classes (two 3-hour classes)

We designed these classes especially for couples planning a home birth. The instructor is a knowledgeable childbirth educator who has herself given birth at home. The classes are private or semi-private and cover topics including: signs & stages of labor, comfort measures & coping techniques including partner-guided support and breathing techniques, the postpartum period, and early newborn procedures. We developed the course syllabus and content with the help of an experienced certified midwife.

Please email us if you would like to schedule a class.

Activities to do with your baby

2010-11-03T10:26:00.005-04:00

Birth Journeys playgroup

Birth Journeys is happy to provide a space for new moms to connect and support each other during this new adventure of parenting at our office in Essex Jonction. The 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month, we have two groups with a small overlap:

• 10months+,10am-12:30pm

• Newborn to 10 months, 12 - 2pm
*A $2 donation is appreciated to cover costs for the space and refreshments.

VNA Family Room

The VNA Family Room is located in St. Joseph's School on Allen Street in Burlington. vnacares.org. 802-860-4420

Fathers & Children Together

Fathers & children birth to age 6 come together for activities, outings and free dinner.

Family Play

Community drop in for families and children birth to age 6. VNA staff is available for support or questions. Free lunch. Infant message. Tuesdays & Thursdays 9-1pm.

Early Months

Moms & new babes get together for support and to learn comfort techniques. Mondays 11-1pm. Thursdays 2:15-3:30 pm.

Mommy Baby Workout with Becky Tharp ACE, CPT

Mommy Baby Workout is a strength and conditioning class designed specifically for moms, with kids and babies in tow. We do a combination of classic strength moves to tone and build muscle all over the body as well as cardio bursts that increase cardiovascular ability, all while burning more calories than is possible doing either kind of exercise on its own. Though the class is focused on moms, we adapt to the attention span of the kids. If all the kids are happy where they are, it's a good time to do a cardio and strength circuit but if the kids are getting fidgety and need a change, we may move locations and involve them in an abdominal routine or lay out a blanket with toys while we work on our push-up stamina. At the end of this class, I guarantee that you will feel a sense of accomplishment, you will likely have done things that you didn't think you could do, and you will certainly feel it the next day! I hope you and your child join us!

Get in touch with Becky (rgtharp@hotmail.com)

Evolution Yoga

802-864-9642. evolutionvt.com

Yoga Young Yogi program, $110 for 11 week session

Kids classes range from ages 2 months-middle school. Whether you are looking for a way to bond with your baby, tap into your toddler's imagination, or give your child tools to focus and find confidence, our children's series offer a consistent way to bring yoga into your family's life.

EvoMamas, Every 2nd and 4th Thursday, 2-4 pm - free

EvoMamas is an open gathering run by mothers for mothers. EvoMamas fosters community, support, and friendship in the transition period between pregnancy and motherhood. Whether you're expecting, are a new mom, or you've just had another baby, you're invited to come hang out, discuss, and unwind. Feel free to bring snacks, toys or your yoga mat for a little stretching!

Post-Natal Yoga, Sun 12:15-1:30 pm, Thurs 10:25-11:40 The transition into motherhood can feel challenging both emotionally and physically as the mother's body begins to realign after so many months growing a baby. Post-Natal Yoga focuses on bringing the body back to strength and alignment in a fun and nurturing environment with other mothers. We begin the class with a chance to talk about common themes such as sleep (or lack there-of), feeding baby, how to wear your baby, etc., and then move into a moderately- paced yoga class which focuses on relieving shoulder and back pain, strengthening deep abdominal and pelvic muscles, and building stamina. Feel free to bring your baby with you, as well as a baby blanket to rest the baby on. The class is appropriate for women with babies 6 weeks to crawling.

Mama Yoga, Wednesdays, 9:45-10:45 am. (Please note, this is a drop-in class; no pre-registration is necessary. You may use your 10 class card for this class.) At evolution, we recognize that a mom's busy life often doesn't allow for yoga; so bring your toddler along to this anusara-ispired yoga class! Carolyn Conner, mother of a toddler herself, will lead you through a moderately-paced yoga class while your child plays in the studio (and probably climbs all over you!). This class will be creative, full of laughs and undoubtedly full of surprises. Calling all moms with kids from crawling to age 3 - come explore your practice with us!

And please check your local library for children’s programming such as story times or sing alongs.

Newborn Care Classes!!!

2010-10-03T17:42:00.001-04:00

We are so proud to now be offering newborn care classes. In our space on Kellogg Road, every six weeks, following a childbirth education series. Open to the public.

Come learn the basics of what to expect and how to handle those first days as a new family.

Please pre-register at vtbirthjourneys@hotmail.com

Placental Options

2010-06-09T20:45:00.004-04:00

What are you doing, or have you done with your placenta? What stories have you heard? We've all heard something but most of us wonder what we might have done if we had the opportunity to go back and make a different choice after having some time to think about it. Most of us, before delivering our first placenta don't contemplate what we might do with it after it's expelled from our bodies.

I know I've wondered after having my wisdom teeth pulled why I didn't ask for them, and what do they do with them anyway? Are they hazardous medical waste? It sounds silly to say it out loud, but when I trim my kids hair, I put it in the compost in the hopes that as it nourishes our garden in the following years that it will some how ground them to our home.

I didn't think to ask for my placentas and we didn't own any property when I delivered them so I don't know what I might have done, but now, in my semi-wisened years I would like to think I would have encapsulated and ingested it. A friend of mine buried hers under an apple tree and now that her son is grown and lives out of state, she mails him a couple of apples every year for his birthday. Why wasn't I so thoughtful?

Why? Because we are sadly disconnected from birth and all of it's processes prior to giving birth ourselves in our culture. However, we are fortunate to live in a place where you can find options if you are aware to look for them. We at Birth Journeys can do placenta prints for you, creating a unique piece of art that curiously looks like a tree (I'd like to think I would have done this too), something like the baby's foot prints. We can also refer you to a local woman who dehydrates and encapsulates placentas for women to ingest in the postpartum period. There are many studies showing the health benefits of this practice.

Visit this blog to read about some cultural practices around the world. Here are some other sites with great information;
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-07-18-placenta-ingestion_N.htm

http://birthbliss.wordpress.com/2010/03/03/the-healing-power-of-the-placenta/

http://placentabenefits.info/articles.asp

Whatever you decide to do with your placenta, you should consider at least having a look and saying a quiet little thank you for the hard and magical work it did. They're really quite beautiful.

Officially a blog...Baby Wearing, a Bad Wrap?

2010-06-06T09:03:00.002-04:00

Now that our website is up, we can use this blog for what it's actually intended. I don't hope to be as prolific as some of my favorite bloggers, but I hope to share useful information from time to time and I hope anyone that visits us will also visit the others on our blog list.

So for our first official blog post let's look at baby wearing. Our group very much subscribes to the benefits of attachment parenting. Lately, new families have been questioning whether slings or other baby carriers are safe. Our goal is to point families toward evidence based information and let them decide what works best for them.

There are great instructional clips on You Tube that show how baby carriers work. There is also a great website for attachment parenting that offers a link to a recent article on sling safety.

Happy baby wearing!
Happy parenting!

NEW WEBSITE!!

2010-06-05T11:29:00.004-04:00

Our website is up, under construction, but up!!

Birth Journeys

Childbirth Education Classes

2010-03-12T22:10:00.001-05:00

We are certified, experienced instructors who believe in empowering pregnant women and their families with the information and confidence to have a safe & positive birth experience.

5-week weekday series/3-week weekend series

Topics covered include: signs & stages of labor, comfort measures & coping techniques including partner guided support and breathing techniques, hospital tour, cesarean birth, pain medication options and the “what-ifs” of labor & birth, the postpartum period and early newborn procedures.

These classes can provide a relaxed atmosphere to connect with other families getting ready for their new baby too.

*We also offer private 1st time and refresher classes*

Labor & Birth Doula Services

2010-02-15T20:05:00.018-05:00

Our goal is to support women and families in having more satisfying birth experiences. Since women’s memories of their birth experiences often last a lifetime and can have powerful effects on their feelings of self esteem and confidence, we are committed to helping women have the most fulfilling, empowering, and satisfying experience possible. It is now widely recognized that choosing to add a labor support person, or doula, to your birth circle can yield many positive benefits.

The labor support services we provide are outlined below. We are available to review these with you and answer any questions you may have about how we can meet your individual needs.

Prenatal Care...

Before your due date, we will arrange to meet with you and your partner to discuss plans for your birth and decide how best to work together. We usually try to schedule two meetings before your due date if time allows. A questionnaire will be provided to you outlining the topics covered in prenatal visits. Spending this time with you prenatally helps us to understand the unique needs and desires you and your partner have for the birth.

You may find that questions or concerns arise while you are waiting for your baby to come. Please call us anytime you feel the need. As you get closer to your due date, you are welcome to speak with us often about what you are feeling and experiencing as you await the arrival of your child.

When You Are In Labor....

The Doula’s Role. During labor, our role is to provide physical comfort, emotional support, information, and suggestions for coping with the process of labor. We are there to provide reassurance and perspective for you and your partner, make suggestions to promote labor progress, and help with relaxation, massage, positioning, and other comfort measures. Except for extraordinary circumstances or emergencies, we will remain with you throughout labor and birth

We can also assist you in gathering information from the medical staff so that you can make informed decisions as they arise in labor. It is important that you feel confident that the decisions you make about your birth are right for you. We will do our best to respectfully help you and your partner explore questions and feelings so you can feel confident and comfortable with the decisions made during your birth. It is our responsibility to support your decisions fully.

A doula’s role during labor is to:

~ Support the decisions you make about your birth;

~Suggest positions, comfort measures, and techniques to help the

progress of labor

~ Answer questions or help you get your questions answered;

~ Provide emotional support and encouragement to you and your partner;

~ Help your partner take as active a role as desired in supporting you.

A labor support person does not:

~ Perform clinical tasks such as; blood pressure, fetal heart tones or vaginal exams

~ Make decisions for you

~ Communicate decisions on your behalf to the medical staff--you or your partner will speak on your own behalf to the clinical staff.

When to Call. Call us when you think you are in labor or if your water breaks. Even if you do not yet need us to come, we can answer questions and make suggestions over the phone. We are available to join you at any point in your labor. Often a doula will come when a new perspective is needed or when it feels like comfort measures and relaxation techniques that were working well are beginning to be less effective. It is hard to determine exactly what your needs will be ahead of time, so we are flexible and keep in close contact with you and your partner so that your needs can be met.

After the Birth...

We will remain with you for one to two hours after your baby is born, until you are settled comfortably. We can also help with initial breastfeeding during this time.

We will check in with you by phone during the first day or two after the birth, and will schedule a postpartum visit at your convenience within the first days after you arrive at home. During this visit, we will review the birth and can also address any breastfeeding, infant care, or parenting questions you may have. An additional Postpartum visit will be scheduled within the first month at home. This visit will be tailored to the needs of the family at the time.

Again, we are available by phone any time during the early postpartum period to answer questions or help you locate resources.

On-Call Services....

Once we agree to work together, We usually consider ourselves on call from about two weeks before your due date until the time you give birth. We will cover how to reach us at the prenatal visit.

Back Up Services....

In the event of a long labor (lasting more than 24 hours), we reserve the option to call in a back-up person. After a short respite, your doula will resume her role. This is for your safety as well as your doula’s. We want to be sure you are supported as fully as possible throughout your labor.

Our goals...

As doulas, we do our best to create an environment in which mothers and their partners can experience the birth of their babies as fully as possible. It is our hope that you will feel fully supported as you meet the unique challenges of your labor, and that your birth will be a positive experience in which you feel confident, informed, and surrounded by care, love and respect.

The moment that a baby is born is joyous, magical, and wondrous. We are honored to have the opportunity to share this time with you.

Thank You!

Postpartum Doula Services

2010-02-14T17:23:00.013-05:00

Our goal is to support women and families in having more satisfying postpartum experiences. Through the ages women have supported each other through the postpartum period by being experienced listeners and by keeping the household running. As our lives have become more hectic this support has become less available.

The postpartum services we provide are outlined below. Many families find support within the first two weeks critical while others wait until visiting family has departed. The average postpartum visit is four hours, which we find ideal. We are available to review the possibilities with you and answer any questions you may have about how we can meet your individual needs.

Our postpartum services include:

One prenatal visit that could include preparing the house (setting up crib, baby station, etc…)

Our series of four-hour postpartum visits that could include:

~ Quiet nonjudgmental support and companionship during the Fourth Trimester
~ Teaching newborn care
~ Teaching siblings and partner how they can better “mother the mother”
~ Help with breastfeeding
~ Light cooking and some of the shopping
~ Doing laundry
~ Light household tidying
~ Providing you with evidence-based information on infant feeding, emotional and physical recovery from childbirth, infant soothing, and coping skills for new parents
~ Taking care of baby when you shower or rest
~ Make sure you are fed, well hydrated and comfortable
~ Diplomatically assisting with family adjustment
~ Referring you to experienced specialists when appropriate

If you have Blue Cross Blue Shield or Catamount Insurance and are enrolled in Better Beginnings, you are eligible to be reimbursed for 9 hours of postpartum care. This coverage is listed under "homemaker".
http://www.bcbsvt.com/member/Health_and_Wellness/betterbeginnings.html

We also hold a playgroup twice a month at our office, every other Thursday from 10 to 12. We ask for a $2 donation per visit.

We are honored to share this memorable time with you.

Thank you!

Belly Casting

2010-02-13T21:45:00.008-05:00

Belly casting is a lovely way to commemorate your beautiful pregnant body. We can come to your home if you live in the Burlington area, or you could come to ours (if you don’t want to deal with the mess) and we can cast your belly for you. Many people choose to decorate their cast in a wide range of styles, you could visit this link for inspiration. This is a very messy, fun process that takes about 2 hours, start to finish including set up and clean up.

Your cast should be set within 48 hours and you can choose how you might decorate or display it.