Pampered Pregnancy – Blissful Birth

We love you.    And this February we’re sharing the love by offering free provider visits for any of our doula clients.  Normally, this is included in our higher end packages, or as a $40 a la carte add-on, but this month it is no charge if you’d like us to accompany you to a provider visit.  At this visit we introduce ourselves to your provider (if they don’t already know us).  We review your birth plan with them, and go over any questions you might have about the big day, or clarify any requests on OB or hospital procedures that differ from regular standard of care.  We’re your friend and advocate at this appointment.  So just reply to this email and let us know if you’d like to add this on to your package for no fee.

February is bursting with education at Get Babied!  What better way to love yourself and your baby than to get as prepared as you can birth birth and beyond.  All of our childibrth prep options have February start dates – from the crash courses to the cadillac courses (listed in that order below).

Saturdays – Get Yoga – DeLora prepares body and mind for your journey.

2/19 – Get Comfortable is 1.5 hours of specific comfort measures for labor prep – a very hands on class that shows you and your partner what to actually do during labor.  Clients in our Get Babied packages and beyond have this included in their packages, and for anybody else it can be added on a la carte.

2/18 – Get Fathering – 2 hours of childbirth and parenting prep – for men, by men.  No womenfolk allowed at this course, and registration assumes you imbibe in a pint since this class is held at the popular bar Contigo.

2/21 – Get Prepared – 3 week express childbirth prep

2/13 – Get Prepped Plus – 6 week childbirth prep focusing on relaxation exercises for labor preparation

2/12 – Get Coached – 12 weeks of thorough childbirth prep with the Bradley Method.

We also have a special offering for couples this month – a very loving option indeed – Get Down to Work – which is a 3 hour class on how to incorporate massage and yoga into labor – 2/26.

Once you’re sufficiently prepared for childbirth, don’t forget about the other important things that happen after that big day, and we have classes to help:

2/11 – Get Milk – Breastfeeding Basics and Assessment
2/12 – Get Diapered – Cloth Diapering 101
2/25 – Got Babied – New Infant Survival and Happiest Baby on the Block

Register for any of these courses online here: http://www.getbabied.com/classes/online-registration

And the first lecture in our 11 lecture series for ParentU – Exploring alternative eductation options, starting young! with Margeret Burns.  ParentU is a monthly lecture series at Get Babied that covers specific progressive parenting topics more in depth.  These lectures are $5/person, or you can buy a full year pass for $30.  Babysitting is available onsite for $10/kid/lecture.  Jenni will be sharing more info about Parent U on our social networks in the next week.  See the complete list of speakers and topics here: http://www.getbabied.com/parent-u

And come share the love at our two Meet the Doulas Events this month – on Tuesday February 14th 7-9pm join us for Valentine’s tea.  And on Saturday February 25th from 7-9pm.  Cary will be sending more info on the guest speaker and birth story to be shared in a follow up email, watch for it!

Here’s a great opportunity for homebirth photography! – Steph

Hello,

Our studio which has been specializing in birth photography for almost 10 years is working on a book about birth around the world and we would love to add a home birth chapter from Austin.  Normally, our clients invest upwards of $3000 for birth photography, but we would offer our services pro bono, and also provide the master images to the new momma and her family free of charge.  All that we would request is permission to use the images.  If you know of any expectant mommas who may be interested and are expecting to deliver on February 4 or 5, could you refer our information to them?

More information about our studio and photography services can be found at:  www.gruesbeck.com (click on the birth gallery).

Thanks so kindly, and best wishes,

Margaret Gruesbeck
www.gruesbeck.com/blog
cell: 626.824.1150
home: 626.298.6039

Looking forward to seeing everybody at the ParentU Baby Expo on Saturday.  Just wanted to give y’all a heads up on the awesome prizes that can be found at the raffle table.  For $1/ticket you can buy as many tickets as you like – and add your ticket to the bucket for any of the prizes you’d like to win.  We’ll pull winning tickets from each bucket at 3:45 and if your half of the ticket in your hand matches the one we pull from the bucket, you’ll go home a winner.  You could win more than one prize even, if you’re lucky.  :)  And, if you RSVP’d for the BabyExpo online, you’ll even get the option of your first 10 tickets free by using your $10 gift card to buy them.

Here are some of the things you can try to win:

Gift Certificate for Acupunture from Light Family Acupuncture

Two hours of personal assistant services from Queen of To Do

Massage from Mint Massage Therapy

Massage from A Kneaded Touch Massage Therapy

Infant Craniosacral Treatment from Listening from the Heart

Gift certificate for Fitness Consult and Workout Plan from Balance Personal Fitness

Shea Butter treats from Shanti Shea

Chew beads,  head band, 2 hours of baby planning and 50% off additional services from Sophie Grace Couture

1 Hour Parent Consultation on Any Subject, including but not limited to, sleep strategies, positive parenting techniques, choosing the right school from Olive Tree Learning Center

Babyproofing goody basket from Austin Babyproofing

Baby Aqua scale from Upspring Baby

Maternity Photography Mini-Session from Sweet Life Family Photography

Ticket to the Gearapalooza event with The Baby Guy NYC on March 4th from The Bump Club and Beyond

NurturMe Baby Food Gift Pack with cute baby spoon and onesie from NurturMe

O3 Skincare–8 oz bottle  of Oxygen-Infused Skin Conditioner (Retail Value $35) Useful for Prenatal care, infant massage and general skin care for anyone from the Star Institute

Star Institute  Birth Journey Facilitator Consultation–a 45 minute consult regarding any unresolved birth story concern from an individuals own birth, birth of their child, birth they have attended or impending birth. The purpose is to bring increased ease, relaxation, comfort and joy to the individual’s experience of birth.  (Retail Value, $75) The consultation will be with a Certified Star Birth Journey Facilitator from the Start Institute

Infant of Maternity Photography session from Moments from the Heart Photography

Baby Goodies Basket with handmade wash cloths, baby blanket, baby hat, diapers and wipes from Any Baby Can

Baby Goodies Basket with books, Robeez shoes, stuffed toys, pacifier, thermometer, diapers and wipes from Any Baby Can

3 weeks worth of homemade healthy baby food from Whirled Peas Baby Food

In-home cooking lesson valued at $60 from Taste & See Healthy Baby Food

Non-toxic infant sunscreen from Ava Anderson Non-Toxic

Swaddle blankets and download codes to iphone app from Parent Prep School

Get Doula’d package for doula services valued at $409 from Get Babied Doula Collective

Any many more day of surprises!

We received the following generous offer from photographer Lori Ferguson. Please contact her if you’re interested! – Steph

Hello!

My name is Lori Ferguson and I’m a photographer in the Austin area.  I am writing to different Doulas in the area hoping they will help me.  I am primarily a wedding (and all that goes with it) and family photographer although recently I was asked to photograph a birth.  It was an amazing experience to say the least.  It excited me and gave me a fresh “spark” in my photography business.  I would love to add birth photography to my services, but before I do I need a couple of models.

Here is what I am looking for:
*Delivery in February
*Different birth methods (water, hypno, etc.)
*Would like to be able to start photography at least 1 hour before birth (hopefully)
*Full release to display pictures on my website and marketing material (these will be tasteful photos and faces can be obscured).

In return, I will provide a high-resolution disc of all the edited images with full copyright release.  I will also provide a 25% discount on prints/albums if they want to print through me and the professional printer that I use.

I only need 2 births, so please talk to your mamas and let me know as soon as possible! Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. You may visit www.photosbylfe.com, enter site, go to Client Proofing and enter the password Holland to view the birth I photographed.  It’s the Baby Hayden gallery.

Thank you,
Lori Ferguson
512-733-4398
www.photosbylfe.com
lori@photosbylfe.com

Hey Mamas (and Dads!)! This month’s Full Moon Postpartum Pot Luck is going to go down this Saturday at the collective.

Celebrate your motherhood at a monthly pot-luck at the Get Babied Doula Collective, 1825 E 38 1/2 St. Once a month, the second Saturday of each month, meet for food, fun and friendship at 4pm. We invite mothers and fathers of infants that are not yet walking to join together in an informal gathering to share wisdom and knowledge, to discover and nurture friendships, and frankly, to just get out of the house once a month for a well- deserved break from the daily grind. Come out and show off your baby, or treat it as a mom’s night out- whatever works! Bring a dish, dessert, or beverage to share.  Jenniclair Schramm, resident Get Babied Lactation Consultant faciliates this monthly and always has great postpartum and breastfeeding tips and support.  This month De’Andrea and Ame will be filling in. We look forward to getting you out of the house, and supporting you in your role of new mom (and dad).  Pot lucks are open to all postpartum parents, clients of Get Babied and any others who would like to participate. As doulas we don’t want our support for you to end with the delivery of your baby – it lasts all the way through parenthood, and we hope the postpartum  potluck will be an opportunity for us to continue to support you in your first year of parenting.

Are you due between January 10th & 31st 2012 and looking beautiful pictures of your newborn baby?

Look no further! Sweet Life Family Photography will be hosting a professional newborn photography workshop for nationally recognized newborn photographer, Laura Brett Photography.

Participating newborn parents will receive:

Complimentary newborn session
Complimentary 16×20 print
Discounted rates off additional prints or digital files
$100 gift certificate from Sweet Life Family Photography

http://blog.sweetlifefamily.com/austin-january-2012-babies/

Hi Everybody!

Starting today, Austin Area Babywearers will have a new online community. Through online services provided by BigTent (www.bigtent.com), our club will be able to process membership renewals and payments, manage email list-serves, have our own buy/sell/trade board, access a live newsletter and calendars, and use lots of other great features to extend our offline activities and relationships online. This switch will allow us to have a more active online community and greater accountability for our group’s carrier library.

How it works: All club members will receive an email invitation from [aabw/BigTent] within the next few days. Simply follow the easy instructions in the invitation. Our goal is to have all members-only online activities completely transferred to BigTent by January 1.

BigTent has a very strict privacy policy and does not sell, rent or give user information to ANY third parties. If you have any questions about this switch, please contact Heather at AustinAreaBabywearers@gmail.com. For more information about BigTent, go to www.bigtent.com.

We look forward to welcoming you to Austin Area Babywearers new online group destination soon!

Labor Support Doula Certification
As a labor support doula certified through our program you will have a confident knowledge base built upon exploring the physical and spiritual aspects of labor, birth and the early postpartum period. The birth of a child is also the birth of new roles for a family. Our program explores the labor and birth process as well as the emotional transition into parenthood. As part of our certification process you will have access to a network of support from other students as well as a personal mentor to help you along the way.

Our workshops spend a great deal of time on how to start, run and grow your business. We will workshop business strategies as well as review and help you design promotional materials and agreements.

The Labor Support Doula Training may be taken alone as a workshop or for certification through our program.

If you are looking to be certified through DTI, students must:

Attend a 3 day training with a DTI Trainer. See below for upcoming dates.
Participate in our mentorship program that provides students with ongoing support throughout the certification process.
Provide documentation of attendance at 4 births. Documentation may be done through your mentor and/or with paperwork submitted from the families that you work with. Working with your mentor as a guide from the prenatal period to the last postpartum visit is strongly encouraged. We will count this as documentation if worked out with mentor ahead of time.
You must be the doula at each of these births.
Only one of these births may be a cesarean birth.
All births used towards certification must be after you participate in one of our trainings.
You must submit a 600 – 1,000 word birth story from the doulas perspective on each birth that you attend for certification.
Read and demonstrate a working knowledge with your mentor of all required reading materials. This will be a part of your interview with your mentor at the end of the program.
Attend a La Leche League meeting or observe a breastfeeding class or mothers breastfeeding circle.
A 600-1,000 word essay on the role of a labor support doula
Audit a childbirth education series that is pre approved by your mentor.
Build and focus on business strategies with your mentor.
Successful completion of all paperwork from certification program manual which includes:

Resource referrals from your home community
Documentation of attending a Le Leche League Meeting or other mentor approved breastfeeding group
An essay on your journey and desire to become a labor support doula
Business strategy outline or attendance at a small business workshop.
Cost of the three day training is $375.00 and includes the certification manual. Upon registering for the training the certification manual will be sent to you via email attachment in PDF format. Handouts will also be given in the training with no additional costs to you.

Fee for application review for certification is $45.00. This is due once you are ready to submit all of your completed paperwork.

Upcoming Training dates for 2012:

-Austin, TX: January 20, 21 and 22, 2012

http://www.doulatrainingsinternational.com/labor-support-doula-certification

http://www.getbabied.com/resources/shadow-and-apprentice-with-us