We Are Your Village - A nurturing group for new parents to connect
Every Tuesday, 10:00-11:30 A.M.
“Imagine you just moved to a foreign country. You have the worst case of jet lag ever. The guidebook you brought, which seemed so comprehensive before you left home, does not tell you everything you need to know. You do not yet speak the language, and everything is confusing. Your spouse or traveling companion either hasn’t come with you or gets to go back home each morning, coming to visit you only at the end of the day. In this new place, the customs are very different. Your natural ways of behaving and interacting are no longer appropriate. Despite the newness of everything, in this particular country you are expected to adapt immediately. But the rhythms of life are different here, and you are constantly sleep-deprived. You miss your old life, where everything was familiar. You miss your friends back home, who only imagine the excitement of your travels and are unable to fully understand the difficulties you describe.
This is what it feels life for many of us when we become [parents]: we find we have entered a strange new world with a language, culture, time zone, and set of customs all its own. Until we become acclimated to this new, seemingly unfathomable territory, we exist in a state of culture shock.”
- Andrea J. Buchanan, from Mother Shock: Tales from the First Year and Beyond—Loving Every (Other) Minute of It
Come find your oasis from this dizzying experience of Parent Shock! We Are Your Village is a weekly drop-in group for new parents to connect, create community and live the truth, power and validation in the phrase “Me, too!”—you are not alone in this journey! We are bringing light to the idea that “no one ever talks about” this stage of blow-outs, worrying, blistered nipples, crying (adults and babies!) and love we’ve never known before. Hosted by a birth and postpartum doula with over 12 years of labor & delivery nursing experience, Anna and her cohorts will lead each week in discussions focused on adjusting to life after baby. We will also feature a monthly “village elder” to bring wisdom, laughs and tips to our group. You’ll engage with lactation consultants, midwives, pediatricians, photographers, make-up artists and other local experts who will share their relevant knowledge base with you and enrich your new parenthood experience. Please bring a blanket to lay your baby on (we'll be hanging out on pillows and rugs on the floor) while we enjoy each other!
Free to all (Maximum of 25 participants)
Babies welcome! (newborns through crawlers)
Hosted by Anna Bonick and other local doulas, experts in the healing arts and other special guests.
Questions? Call Anna or email her at info@villagedoulas.com
It Takes A Village Birth + Family Support LLC
visit: www.villagedoulas.com
call/text: (708) 613-7988
Space is limited, please register for your free spot below!
Anna Bonick
RN, BSN, birth + postpartum doula (Doula Trainings International)
Eleanor Romeus
birth + postpartum doula (Doula Trainings International)
Anna and Eleanor are delighted to be working with HeartGarden to realize their dreams of focused family support within the greater OPRF community. From birth to infant loss to infertility and adoption, both women has personally experienced a wide range in weaving together a family. Anna currently resides in Oak Park with her husband and two children, where she is lucky enough to live just three doors away from Eleanor, her husband, and their four children.
Both women fell in love with reproductive health and sex-positive education and advocacy as teenagers and young adults. For over 12 years, Anna worked in various medical centers in the Chicagoland area as a labor and delivery RN, empowering birthing people and their families to have the best birth possible for them. Shifting gears into doula work has been the most natural progression for her, as forming close relationships and providing consistent, tailored support has always been her favorite parts of birth work. Eleanor felt the calling towards doula work upon growing her own family. The intensity and power she discovered within herself was captivating, and after supporting friends and family informally while also working in the corporate world, Eleanor took the leap to begin training and doula work full-time.
Together, they formed It Takes A Village Birth + Family Support, LLC, a birth and postpartum doula partnership, in 2017 to inform, encourage and empower expectant and new parents to realize their own best vision for a healthy and meaningful passage into parenthood. Anna and Eleanor are excited to help families ease into this new life with compassion, validation and plenty of encouragement along the way—and watch them build their own community of fellow parents and resources at the same time!"