When my husband and I relocated to Maine, one of the first places that was recommended to us - by at least 3 different people - was Birth Roots, located on State St. in Portland. So, we took that recommendation and signed up for their breastfeeding class and their newborn care class - the "fourth trimester." These ended up being not only wonderful classes but a window into a great organization.
First up, the breastfeeding class:
The best part of this class, hands down, is that it was taught from a very positive, encouraging perspective. Unlike most breastfeeding-related avenues of information that I have explored, this class spared me the obnoxious, repetitive preaching about how formula is poison and breastmilk is "liquid gold." Thank goodness. I've heard the demonization of formula and mamas who give formula sooooo many times, and while I acknowledge that breastfeeding is at least marginally better, I don't buy into the exaggerated stuff there is out there, and I refuse to come down on mothers who formula feed. While Birth Roots definitely encourages breast feeding, they seem to make a real point of emphasizing the positives of breastfeeding without dwelling on formula. I would imagine a parent who had given formula in the past would feel perfectly comfortable and welcomed in this breastfeeding class.
Because we didn't have to dwell on breast vs formula, that freed up a lot of time for actual, helpful information. For us, breastfeeding was something we felt we should try to do, but we didn't know anything about it, and it felt like kind of a personal thing to ask our families about in detail. So this class was really helpful in demystifying breastfeeding and giving us concrete, helpful information like different holds, what a good latch looks like, what kinds of complications and issues are normal, troubleshooting, etc. The lessons of this class have stuck with us, and we have frequently remarked that this was the smartest $30 we spent during the pregnancy.
The newborn care class:
Oh my goodness, I LOVED this class. It really helped us feel less anxiety and more excitement about the arrival of our first baby. It's scary for first timers. There's nothing more intimidating than a tiny baby.
The newborn care gave us practical advice and encouragement on helping the baby transition from being on the inside to being on the outside. We got super psyched about swaddling, got tons of tips on soothing baby, and stayed after to ask about baby-wearing; the instructor was kind enough to stay and show us the Boba wrap and talk about it quite a bit, which was very helpful. The best part was that this was the clear moment, from my perspective, when the baby became a real thing for my husband rather than just an abstract concept. He just lit up talking about all the newborn care topics. Another $30 very wisely spent.
Apart from the classes, my conversations with Birth Roots staff and with people who have been to Birth Roots have been overwhelmingly positive. The Birth Roots folks are incredibly supportive and and put a whole lot of love into what they do. They're welcoming and warm, and in our situation, having just moved 700 miles and changed practitioners and hospitals and everything only 2 months before our due date, they were just what we needed to feel good about the huge changes we were weathering. Now that we have our daughter, I plan to look into postnatal classes and groups with Birth Roots.
And now, I definitely have to go change and soothe my little peanut, who's got her grumpy, waking-up face on.
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