My Blossom Journey

When I first came to Blossom I was at the beginning of my second trimester of my pregnancy with my son Michael. The classes that I started taking were Prenatal Yoga on Saturday mornings. It didn’t take long for me to love this Saturday class, and I made it a Saturday morning ritual which I loved. It was wonderful to not only do the Yoga but to also connect with other pregnant women. I loved this form of community. Which is the main reason that I love Blossom, for it’s wonderful community.

In addition to taking Prenatal Yoga classes, my husband Ben and I also took Blossom’s Childbirth Prep classes, as well as Baby Care, Surviving the First Six Weeks and Breastfeeding Basics. These classes were not only very informative, but I also found them to be empowering as we became knowledgeable about this new land that we were about to embark into: the land of parenthood.

After our son Michael was born, I began to regularly attend Blossom’s 0-6 Month Support Group, which was a great way for me to connect to a community of other new first time moms. It was so comforting and reassuring to be with other women who were going through similar experiences as I was with my newborn and then within a few months, with my baby.  It was also really fun to watch the other babies grow along with Michael and to watch them all become babies together.

In addition to the 0-6 Month Support Group, and then later the Mixed Age Support Group, Michael and I also regularly attend Mom/Baby Yoga together. This class also offered a wonderful community that we quickly became a part of, as we not only did Yoga together, but we also began to gather at each other’s homes after class every other week. I remember one day while in class, Michael lay flat on his blanket, on his back, while we all did Yoga, and he lifted his head up very high, as if he wanted to see what everyone was doing. Julianne, our Instructor at that time, laughed and said that Michael was doing “his ab workout” and she then had us all join in this position with him!

It was when Michael was a small baby that I began to volunteer for Blossom mainly with the Lending Library. I continued to do this for a few years, and it was through my volunteering that I began to work part time for Blossom when aposition opened up which I happily accepted.  It felt that it was the perfect job for me, as I was able to go back to work, on a part time basis, for a non-profit that I cared a lot about and that was very mother, baby and child friendly. And I still feel that same way! I think that it is pretty rare to be able to work in a workplace that is fine with a woman working while she cares for and even breastfeeds her child, even while she works! It is a privilege for me to work at Blossom, and I am very grateful to be a part of our wonderful office staff.

In addition to my work at Blossom as the Community Outreach Coordinator, I also facilitate our Mom’s-to-Be Support Group which meets the first Mondays of the month from 7-8:30pm. This is a group that supports women as they travel on their fertility journey. It is a place to come to be with other women who are on a similar path and who can really understand what you are going through and how you feel. Some of the women in the group are going through fertility treatments and some are going a more natural route. We support each other no matter what road or roads that we are taking to become parents. If you feel guided to attend our group, please do! If you are wanting to conceive again, please join us as well! Or, if you know of someone who would like to become pregnant and would like some support, please pass this blog along to them.

Rachel Cooley
Community Outreach Coordinator