Our First Pregnancy Support and Networking Night Out
Greetings, and welcome to our Monthly Center Families Blog!
This month, we have a Very Special Guest Blogger with us, Randi Reed! Randi is a Birth Doula in New York City and is a Center Families Partner. Randi, in collaboration with her friend and business partner Chloe Campbell, frequently present at two of our Center Families Support Groups: Planning Biological Parenthood for Women and Pregnancy Support & Networking.
Planning Biological Parenthood for Women is a group for women considering, preparing for, or currently in the process of conceiving through alternative insemination.
Pregnancy Support and Networking is a support and networking group for pregnant parents-to-be wanting to connect and share their experiences and resources with others.
On Tuesday, November 9th at 6:30pm, Center Families presents its first Pregnancy Support and Networking Night Out! Please join Center Families for an evening of supportive networking, and education for pregnant parents-to-be, surrogates, and those closest to them. Enjoy “mocktails” & “momtinis” along with music, fellowship and fun! There will be an informative presentation by our Center Families Partners Randi Reed and Chloe Campbell, who will discuss their roles as Birth Doula’s, and provide some highly requested information on topics such as breastfeeding, bonding with your newborn, self-care, and planning the birth that is right for you!
We are extremely excited to have the help, support and wealth of information that Randi and Chloe bring to the table. With that said, here is a message from Randi:
Welcoming a baby into your life is a decision in our community that takes a lot of thought and planning. One turns a corner and there might be another obstacle or challenge or an unknown fact staring at you in the face! Our LGBTQ community is not faint of heart and can rise above a challenge, but at times we need a little help, guidance, and love. Thankfully The Center has a number of great programs to help guide hopeful parents along.
That is where I come in. My name is Randi Reed and I co-founded Brown Owl Doulas with my business partner and friend Chloe Campbell. I have been in NYC for about 4 years and The Center has been with me the whole time. I have volunteered at numerous functions including Center Family picnics, Bingo Night, Lesbian Cinema Arts, Garden Party, and Woman’s Events. Needless to say I love The Center. As I started to pursue more things in life, being a doula has been a surprising passion. One year ago I started my training with DONA International which is where I met my friend and business partner Chloe Campbell. We have trained with the same instructors and found our passion and doula styles fit perfectly together. And since I work a lot with The Center, I was asked to come in and facilitate a pregnancy support meeting in June. I loved it so much I came back and Chloe and I just held our first Breast Feeding 101 workshop for the Pregnancy Support Group. There we talked about the basics of breast feeding and what a new mom should know before baby comes. We even discussed the possibility for two moms being able to breast feed which is a unique opportunity for some lesbian couples having babies in our community!
If you have never heard the word doula before you are not alone. What is a doula?
The word “doula” comes from the ancient Greek meaning “a woman who serves” and is now used to refer to a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during, and just after birth; or who provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period.
Studies have shown that when doulas attend birth, labors are shorter with fewer complications, babies are healthier and they breastfeed more easily.
A Birth Doula
- Recognizes birth as a key experience the mother will remember all her life
- Understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor
- Assists the woman in preparing for and carrying out her plans for birth
- Stays with the woman throughout the labor
- Provides emotional support, physical comfort measures and an objective viewpoint, as well as helping the woman get the information she needs to make informed decision
- Facilitates communication between the laboring woman, her partner and her clinical care providers
- Perceives her role as nurturing and protecting the woman’s memory of the birth experience
- Allows the woman’s partner to participate at his/her comfort level
Being a doula is such a rewarding and amazing job! We love it. And we understand what a crazy world pregnancy, birth, and postpartum can be. Myself and Chloe are very excited to speak with the community more and help you with whatever questions you have. Not only do we have knowledge about labor and birth but we also have the resources to help you achieve your desires and answer your questions about pregnancy, labor, birth, postpartum and more. Did I mention I am a nanny of 4 and Chloe has a 3 year old! We are always available for your questions or concerns. You can contact us at randiandchloe@gmail.com
See you November 9th from 6:30pm-9pm!! PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!
Please contact Shanequa Anderson at 212 620 7310 ext 473 or sanderson@gaycenter.org for further information.
