Share: 

Nurturing Birth one-day retreat for women set April 15

March 20, 2018

Judi Block, owner of Ever Present Yoga, has joined with Kathleen Whittam, owner of Delaware Doula, to host Nurturing Birth, a one-day retreat for pregnant women and their planned labor support. The retreat will be held from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Sunday, April 15, in the Life Center at Savannah Inn in Lewes.

Nurturing Birth will start with a prenatal yoga class taught by Block for the mothers-to-be. Yoga will be followed by a catered lunch for the moms and one birth support person. Following lunch, Whittam will teach effective pain management and coping techniques for pregnancy and labor. The day will conclude with a short visualization, leaving participants prepared for their birth journey with a sense of calm, empowerment and connection.

“Judi and I both believe in the nurturing process and a woman’s innate ability to birth,” said Whittam. “Women in labor are not helpless, and we provide very real and practical ways to remain calm and supported in birth, no matter where or how they choose to give birth.” Block and Whittam teach participants how to use breath, movement and support, making it easier to stay in the present moment without attaching to the past or grasping for the future. “This retreat was created out of a sincere desire to nurture women on their path toward birth,” said Block.

The retreat is open to pregnant women in their second or third trimester along with their planned labor partner. Yoga is for pregnant women only with their labor support partner joining for lunch and the afternoon sessions. Class size is limited and reservations are required. To make reservations, go to www.everpresentyoga.com. For details about the retreat, contact Kathleen Whittam at 302-278-3288 or kathleen.whittam@delawaredoula.net.

Whittam is a DONA-certified doula, a Lamaze-certified childbirth educator and the Lamaze state champion for Delaware. She has been a doula for 15 years and a childbirth educator for the last seven. She teaches private childbirth education classes and provides professional labor support as a doula, serving women throughout Delaware. The Delaware Doula philosophy is that all women deserve to feel safe, supported, and respected during labor. Whittam resides in Lewes with her husband and three children.

Block, an experienced, registered yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance and a certified prenatal yoga instructor for Conscious Birthing, has been guiding classes in the Lewes area since 2010. She is a yoga teacher for all ages and life stages, and her class offerings include both prenatal and postnatal mom/baby yoga. Her intention is to help women prepare to give birth actively and instinctively, building trust in their intuition along with the body's innate wisdom. The breath-based practice cultivates present moment awareness, bringing forth a sense of calmness, confidence and focus.

For more information, go to www.delawaredoula.net and www.everpresentyoga.com.

 

Subscribe to the CapeGazette.com Daily Newsletter