The Parenting Oasis

The Power of Teamwork January 25, 2009

 I just want to share with everyone what happened at our planning meeting Wednesday. We had 15 people show up, committed to helping and growing Parenting Oasis and a few others who dropped me emails, wanting to come.  We are committed to keeping things the same in many ways, the hours, the food, the costs.  Mostly we are going to focus on sharing the burden and building a team of volunteers.  We are also committed to board development and organization so that we can continue to create new opportunities at Parenting Oasis.

If you are interested in helping, please join the Yahoo group at parentingoasis-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Christie will be working on a volunteer calendar.

We intend to host a cleaning day, regular baking and soup making days, work on scheduling more classes and workshops and working hard on developing our Saturdays. 

Saturday February 7th, 11-12 come discuss how Parenting Oasis can better serve the needs of parents working outside the home.

Wednesday February 25th from 11-12, we will have another planning/volunteer meeting and will discuss board elections.  If you are interested, please be here. 

And please, if you can’t come to the meeting or just have feedback you would like to share, please drop me a note.  We have had a great first 16 months but have so much more we can do for families.

And hey- Tuesday Cloth Diaper and Sling Swap!

Maureen

Parenting Oasis Growing Pains January 11, 2009

So things at Parenting Oasis are going very well.  We are staying busy, paying the bills and reaching out to more families every week.  But my original business plan is hitting some serious glitches.  Opening a new nonprofit at the same time the economy has hit such a rough spot isn’t working.  I originally anticipated donating 20 hours a week for a year as we located grant money to fund this position.  16 months in, we have had some small grants but nothing substantial enough to pay anyone wages.

This past month I realized that given my family’s economics, my growing career commitments and the fact that my house plants seem to be dying off- I am going to have to get more help around here.  I love Parenting Oasis and believe we are making a difference for parents.  However, I just can’t donate 20+ hours each week.

On Wednesday January 21st from 11-12, please join us to discuss how to keep Parenting Oasis open and even growing through these tough times.  I need help with managing donations of food, setting up classes and speakers, I need help with clean and set up, and I need people willing to be on our board of directors as we move forward with more fundraising.  If you are unable to make the meeting but would like to help in anyway- please drop me a note.

Maureen

Healing Birth Stories- A New Parenting Oasis Workshop January 5, 2009

On Sunday January 11th, my colleague Sarina LaMarche and I will be offering Healing Birth Stories, a birth trauma workshop for women who have unresolved feelings about their births.  Please forward this email to the women that you know and let them know about the class.  I promise it will be a beautiful, safe, healing afternoon.  If you have any questions or want more information, please feel free to contact either me or Sarina.  For the most part, if you think that your birth was traumatic, it was.  If you get mad or sad when talking about your birth or if there are parts of your birth story you just don’t share, this is the workshop for you.  Birth is one of our most life defining experiences and it is often a mixture of pain and beauty.

What is birth trauma? Some women experience events during childbirth (as well as in pregnancy or immediately after birth) that would traumatize any normal person. For other women, it is not always the sensational or dramatic events that trigger childbirth trauma but other factors such as loss of control, loss of dignity, the hostile or difficult attitudes of the people around them, feelings of not being heard or the absence of informed consent to medical procedures.

Factors may include:
Lengthy labor or short and very painful labor Induction
Poor pain relief
Feelings of loss of control
High levels of medical intervention
Traumatic or emergency deliveries, e.g. emergency caesarean section
Impersonal treatment or problems with the staff attitudes
Not being listened to
Lack of information or explanation
Lack of privacy and dignity
Fear for baby’s safety
Baby’s stay in NICU
Poor postnatal care
Previous trauma (i.e., in childhood, with a previous birth or domestic violence)

adapted from The Birth Trauma Association

Check out all the other things on the calendar as well, and see you at Parenting Oasis.

Maureen

Healing Birth Stories Sunday January 11th 3-4:30 A workshop designed to support mothers who have experienced a difficult or negative birth, birth shock or birth trauma, or have struggled to resolve their births. This workshop will provide a space for women to share and heal from their experiences. The one and half hour session will include discussion, time for reflection, and other exercises. Leave feeling supported, empowered, and more at peace with your birth.  Cost: $25 (scholarships available)  Questions or to register contact Sarina LaMarche.