I am so excited that Huron Birth is offering our Toddler Time Group once again!

Amanda is going to be running this one. If you haven’t met her yet; you are in for a treat. She is such an awesome support to parents and is always keeping it real. Here’s a quick look at what we have planned for this group;

- intro/ meet & greet
- toddler music class with Aimee from The Music Box.
- potty learning
- picky eaters
- picture day with Alicia Foulon Photography
- Moms Night Out

Spaces in this group are starting to fill up. Please don’t forget to register! You can do so by emailing kirstons@gmail.com.

Siblings are welcome to attend!

Here is some info on Amanda 💕

MONDAY- 3 prizes!!! 2 winners will receive a Huron Birth “Tired as Mother” mug, the 3rd will win a mug AND a pass for our Mom & Baby North Group!

Ca Kelly you have won a pass to our Mom & Baby North and a mug! Leonie Vandenberg Millian & Kristen Zisterer you have both won one of our Tired as a Mother mugs :) Please email kirstons@gmail.com to claim your prize.

TUESDAY- Mayflower Design Nursing Hoodie! [size and colour to be chosen by winner] Congrats Nicole Henriques! Please email kirstons@gmail.com


WEDNESDAY- $25 shop credit at The Dancing Llama!

THURSDAY- Tired as a Mother Mug!

FRIDAY- Girasol Wrap!

RULES/ INFO

Winner will be chosen the following day for each prize.
Winner will be announced on this blog post.
Winner must claim prize within 24 hours of being notified or we will draw another winner.
Winner must be able to pick prize up in Goderich, Bayfield or Exeter.
Be aware that if your privacy settings are private we may not see your entry.
My 3 year old will help choose the winner as no one can dispute the randomness of a 3 year old.

Okay, here it is! All that I have been working so hard for, what prompted the growth mindset of Huron Birth- my heart & soul...
Huron Birth Maternal Outreach Fund.

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a big heart for community. Living in community with others has truly made my life as a parent so much better.
They would also know that I have a big heart for supporting families through pregnancy, birth and into parenting. These are the golden years folks!
I’m not referring to the state of our homes, sanity, or appearances. Ha! These years are golden because this is when we lay the groundwork for lasting bonds, where we learn to communicate with our partners optimally-to create a safe place for our growing families, where we grow into confident and capable parents, where we develop attunement and resiliency within our family.

It has been such a blessing working with families in the perinatal period of their lives. I feel SO privledged to witness so much vulnerability and raw love. It is a beautiful reminder of what humanity is and is always challenging me as a Mother, Wife, Friend and Community Member.

That being said, there is a VOID. There is a VOID in the Perinatal Support that is available to the vulnerable members of our community and it hurts. Down to my core, I know that in building relationships, providing optimal support, and making community connections through these golden years, of a family’s life- is HUGE! I know that investing in a Doula is worth it, I know that investing in support for the perinatal period of a vulnerable family’s life is worth it.

I have been supporting vulnerable families through this golden period for years now. I have worked with many families out of the goodness of my heart, with a significantly reduced rate, or sometimes through the support of sparse funding of other local organizations. The reality is that despite the need and value; there is not funding readily available for this in our area.

When passionate about something: I become quite the “do-er”. This Huron Birth Maternal Outreach Fund is my response to this void. By growing Huron Birth into a team, we are able to do more! This fund will supply Birth & Postpartum support to the vulnerable members of our community. A percentage of all Doula services and groups/ workshops run through Huron Birth will be put in this fund. We will also be hosting some exciting events and fundraisers to raise funds for the Huron Birth Maternal Outreach Fund.

This next week is going to be an exciting time for Huron Birth! Our new website is launching, we have some EPIC giveaways planned, and new events to be announced! But, it just wouldn’t of felt proper to start off the party without explaining the heart & soul behind it first.

Oh 2018, am I excited for you!!
In the new year there will be some amazing humans joining the Huron Birth team. I can not wait! Community is one of my favourite things; I am so excited to bring that to the professional side of Huron Birth.
Our new practitioners will be introduced early 2018- so stay tuned!! In the meantime, I’m still looking to add another Doula to Huron Birth. So, if your passionate about birth and supporting families, or know someone who is.. get in touch! Students welcome! Life learners sing to my soul ❤️

Kirston

What a year 2017 has been! Although, my Doula/ Parenting world was a bit slower than most years, our family life has been a tad faster. In the fall of 2016, our home opened as a Concurrent Home (foster home that is also approved to adopt). We’ve had the joy of caring for and loving on 6 littles since then- some through respite care and others as foster placements. It’s been a year of love, growth, and challenges that we wouldn’t change for a moment. I am looking forward to sharing our foster parent journey with some of you, as I get back into the swing of things next year. I also wanted to quickly share a few things from our journey :)

I know people mean well and are genuinely curious! But there are some questions we were asked A LOT. Some of them kind of got old quickly, others we would quickly be able to predict where the conversation was going and already had our response down. Here are some of the questions/ comments we hear most often;

“I could never be a foster parent. I would get too attached.”
Well then, I think you’d actually make a great foster parent! Children so need attachment. They are always worth the risk. We’ve also been really blessed in that we still have contact with all but one of our former placements. I know people mean well when they say this, but I can’t help but feel like an Evil Ice Queen who’s some how able to avoid attachment. We crumbled when one placement ended quickly. Thankfully our wonderful people held us up, we owned that hard for a bit and it was so worth it!

“Which ones are yours? “
Again, I know people mean well but seriously?! I typically just say “Today- they all are.” I know you’re not trying to single a child out but you are.

“Are you done fostering?”
This is a loaded question. I find it similar to asking someone if they are done  having children... kind of personal and not up for conversation unless we initiate it.

“Are you going to adopt Johhny?”or “It’s just so sad children as young as Johnny need to be in foster care.” While Johnny is standing next to me.
Children’s permanency plans have a lot of thought and planning put into them by many people, and often are changing. Frequently, we as foster parents have no idea what a child’s future will hold. Adults don’t casually share their hard with others. Why would it be appropriate to dive into Johnny’s? When you meet a child, ANY CHILD, despite wether they’ve lived a life full of broken or not- rejoice and delight in them! Children are awesome! Their hard is their business, on their terms.

“You’ve actually met their parents?! “
I have... I actually made a priority of it.... we actually speak weekly... and (gasp) they are really nice people!
Not in every situation have we been able to speak weekly, but I’ve never met another parent that I couldn’t connect with and in most cases we were able to speak often. I treasure that connection, the knowledge they share, and witnessing their love for their child is truly beautiful.


Here are our biggest take aways from our year;

We’re stronger than we ever imagined.


Hard is hard, but when it’s the right thing to do putting yourself out there isn’t so scary.


There aren’t just good parents and bad parents. We’re all a bit of both. There are generations of brokenness and hurt. How we come together as a community to support these cycles is everything.


Empathy comes easy.


Loving children who were not biologically ours was not at all a challenge and came quite naturally. Though, I would argue, that when you are meeting a child’s physical and emotional needs, you are impacting that child on a biological level and leaving a biological footprint. Therefore, we have a biological connection ;)


The impact of trauma, missed attachment and attunement have significant developmental implications.


Our village of friends and family is AMAZING!


Foster Parents are amazing people. We are so fortunate to have met a bunch and call them our people.


We have more to offer than we ever would have thought. Our home is TINY, we are far from rich, and we are flawed humans. Though somehow, we still have so much to give. How cool is that?!



If you have any questions about fostering, or supporting fostering families and want to chat- feel free to reach out! I may not know all the answer but can likely find someone who does.

Join us for this informative 4 week class! We will cover the last weeks of pregnancy, the birth process, comfort measures, infant care, breastfeeding in the early weeks, and have professional maternity photos taken. This small group setting is a great way to get informed and connect with other pregnant mothers. Registration is required, please email kirstons@gmail.com. $55 registration fee.

Here are the details for our Spring Mini Mom & Baby Group; 

May 25th- Welcome Day
June 1 -Pictures with Steph Gascho 
 June 8- Infant First-aid & CPR with Stacey Palen
June 15- Benefits of eating local and in-season with Suburban Hippie Homestead 
June 22- Moms Night out 




 We will be meeting from 10am- 11:30am at Luxe for the Little ones in Exeter. 

We have some exciting plans set for our first Mom & Baby Group of 2015! Here are the details; 

We'll be meeting at Luxe for the Little ones on Mondays from 10am-11:30am (the week of family day we will be meeting on the Wednesday at 9am). 

Mon. Feb. 2- Welcome and meet & greet. 

Mon. Feb. 9- Valentines Day Party & DIY baby care products 

Wed. Feb. 18- Chiro for infants info with Dr. Carolyn Wood 

Mon. Feb. 23- Cloth Diaper 101 with Sarah's Cloth & Accessories 

Mon. Mar. 2- Picture Day with Stephanie Gascho Photography

Mon. Mar. 9- Green Living Discussion 

Mon. Mar. 16- Mom & Baby Yoga with Om Yoga Studio

Mon. Mar. 23- Moms Night Out

We currently have 2 spaces left so if you are interested please email kirstonz@huronbirth.com to hold your space! 
$100 for the 8 weeks. Payment is due Mon. Jan. 26th. 

Looking forward to another great group with my newbie :) 

Kirston