Happenings on the Coast for NCBC

Tons going on over at the Coastal Chapter of the Northern California Birth Collective!
They are doing a wonderful job over there.

 Hello Everyone! A new month is beginning and I am here to inform you of all the wonderful things happening this month! 

March 6: 12-1pm Breastfeeding Coalition, led by Kei Velazquez 707-964-1251.  This meeting is held in the conference room of the Mendocino Coast Clinics. Anyone interested in supporting breastfeeding in our community is welcome to attend. We would love to see more OB nurses, doulas, midwives, pediatricians, etc so invite anyone who has a direct impact on breastfeeding mothers. 

March 12: 10-11am Le Leche League, led by Erin Malsom 707-962-0797.  This is a mother to mother breastfeeding support group.  It is held in the community room at the Ft. Bragg library. All expectant moms and breastfeeding moms welcome to attend. 

March 13: 6:30-8pm Meet the Doulas, led by Jade Golden. This is a great opportunity for all expectant parents to find out what exactly a doula does, how a doula may benefit their birth and also meet some of the local doulas in the area. These meetings are held at Safe Passage in the family room. Call Amy at 707-962-9080 for more details. Free childcare is available. 

March 14: 6:30-8pm Free Pregnancy Educational Classes. This month's topic is "Nurturing your Body and Baby throughout Pregnancy" led by local doula, Sabrina Peterson.  Learn about local resources and tips for nutrition and exercise during pregnancy. Dress comfortably and bring a yoga mat!  This class will be held at Safe Passage in the family room. Call Amy at 707-962-9080 for more details. Free childcare is available. 

March 22-March 28: World Doula Week. No events have been planned in the Mendocino area but if anyone has any ideas on how we can promote doulas in our area, please contact Amy at 707-962-9080.  The purpose of this week is to empower doulas all over the world to improve the physiological, emotional, social and psychological health of women, newborns and families in birth and in the postpartum period. Check out www.worlddoulaweek.com for more details.  

Every Friday from 10-12pm, Kei holds a breastfeeding support group at Mendocino Coast Clinics. Call 707-964-1251 for more details.

Continuous childbirth classes are held at Mendocino Family Health Care from 6:30-8:30pm.  Feb 28th's class was on Labor and Delivery, March 7 class will be on Relaxation Techniques, March 14 is on Breastfeeding and March 21 will be on the Postpartum Period and Newborn Care. Call 707-937-4202 for more details.

Austyn Gaffney is the new Coastal Coordinator for First 5 Mendocino.  She is organizing a Breastfeeding Conference in Ukiah on Thursday, April 18 and in Fort Bragg on Friday, April 19th. If you would like more information or would like to be added to her email list regarding this conference contact Austyn at 707-962-3601 or norcoast@mendochildren.org 

I hope you have a wonderful month and we will be looking forward to seeing you at one of these events!

--Amy Mutkala

Coastal Chapter of the Northern California Birth Collective

707-962-9080

"Birth Story" Showing in Ukiah to Support CAM!

We are so excited and thankful to Melissa B who is putting on the "Birth Story" movie about Ina May and the Farm Midwives.

The showing will be on March 9th at 1pm at Mendocino Baby in Ukiah.  Money will be donated to CAM (California Association of Midwives) and will be followed by a discussion on local health issues.

We are so excited to be hosting this amazing event!

Come and join us.  You can buy tickets at Mendocino Baby and you can RSVP at our event page on Facebook-

Coastal Chapter of the Northern California Birth Collective February Happenings

Hello everyone!
There is a lot happening this month and I really hope you will be able to attend some of these events.


Feb 5 Tuesday 12-1pm. Breastfeeding Coalition led by Kei. Held in the conference room at Mendocino Coast Clinics. Everyone is welcome. She will be discussing nipple shields. The correct way to use them and apply them, as well as why they are used.

Feb 12 Tuesday 10-11am. Le Leche League led by Erin Malsom. Held in the community room at the Fort Bragg library. All nursing moms and expecting moms welcome. This is an opportunity to discuss any breastfeeding issues you may have, as well as provide encouragement and personal experience to others who are having problems. Good way to meet other moms.

Feb 13 Wednesday 6:30-8pm. Meet the Doulas led by Jade Golden.  Held in the teen lounge at Safe Passage. For all expecting parents. Come meet the doulas that live and work on the coast. Find out how a doula will benefit your birth. Parents that have used a doula are also welcome to join and share their experience. All doulas in the area are more than welcome to attend! Bring your business cards to promote your services.

Feb 20 Wednesday 6:30-8pm. "Exploring Your Vision of Birth Through Birth Art" led by Elexa Richardson. Held in the teen lounge at Safe Passage. All expecting parents welcome. Parents do not need to be artistic! This is a fun way of exploring ideas about birth.

Every Friday 10-12pm Breastfeeding support group led by Kei. Held at Mendocino Coast Clinics. Call 964-1251 for more details.

On-going childbirth classes on Thursday nights from 6-8pm led by Carla Stange. Held at Mendocino Family Healthcare. 940 Ukiah St. in Mendocino. Call 937-4202 to sign up. 

I encourage everyone to spread the word about these events. Feel free to forward this email to anyone who may be interested. 

Hopefully I will see you all soon,

Amy Mutkala

Northern California Birth Collective (Coastal Branch)

707-962-9080

February Breastfeeding Event for the NCBC

The Northern

California

Birth Collective

presents

“Getting a Great Start With Breastfeeding”

Meet local experts, learn about your resources, and learn the basics.

When: Saturday, February 23^rd from 10am to 12 noon

Where: Mendocino Baby, Ukiah (just a short walk from the Farmer's Market).

Why: Because a great start with breastfeeding is worth it!

January Event- Baby Wearing!

Our next event is coming soon! 

The Northern California

Birth Collective

presents:

The Joy of Baby Wearing

A FREE community event at Mendocino Baby in Ukiah.

Thursday, January 10^th, 6pm

Come try out and learn about different baby carriers and discover the joy and ease of wearing your baby. Contact Sarah at mamabirth09@yahoo.com for more info. Find us online at www.norcalbc.blogspot.com

December Events And Moving On To January

Just last week we had a fabulous educational night for the Northern California Birth Collective.  We met at Mendocino Baby and and were instructed in prenatal yoga by Eryn Schon Brunner.  She is a great teacher and has an obvious talent and passion for prenatal yoga. 

You can find her website for her studio, Our Yoga Center in Willits California.  If you are in Ukiah, the half hour drive would certainly be worth it for such a great instructor.

Thank you Eryn!

Meet the Doula is this Thursday at 11am.  We would love for more of our local doulas to come out.  Mamas want to meet you!  We have a great time discussing, learning, and educating at these meetings.

More to come soon for the Northern California Birth Collective.  The ladies behind the birth collective have been meeting with local outreach groups and medical professionals to help improve access to birthing choices for local women.

Stay tuned and mark your calendars with our upcoming events!  Events are listed just to the right on our Google calendar.

Our January events currently include a class on baby wearing with demonstrations and an opportunity to try out different carriers.  This class will be taught by the owners of Mendocino Baby and is a great opportunity to learn more about wearing your baby.  Experienced and new baby wearers are welcome to attend.

We will also have a "Meet the Doula" event on January 17th.

Here is a fun birth video for our birth junkies-  Sent to us by local business owner and doula, Townley Anderson-  (It is graphic if you are new to birth videos.)

December Event for the Northern California Birth Collective

So excited to have Eryn Schon presenting a fabulous night at Mendocino Baby on Prenatal Yoga.

Come get involved, learn a little, feel good, and maybe meet some wonderful local women!  Below is the flyer- feel free to print it out and share. 

We are so blessed to have so many talented women willing to donate their time and efforts to teaching within our community.

Look forward to seeing you there!

 

Keep in touch and share with your friends!

Upcoming events, (dates to be announced)-

International Cesarean Awareness Network meetings, birth circle/birth stories, "Meet the Doula" and much more. 

Also- check out the rest of the website, we have added many local resources and internet resources.  I would love to add you too.