Founded by Birth/Postpartum Doula, Childbirth Educator, Spinning BabiesⓇ Parent Educator, and Certified Lactation Counselor, Erin Ronder Neves, Beyond Birthing is a beautiful space for new and expecting parents to come together. The parent-focused, prenatal wellness and postpartum support center is located at 131 Dodge Street in Beverly, close to the North Beverly Train Station, and just celebrated one year in business.
Erin is a mom of two girls, ages 9 and 11, and lives in Manchester-by-the-Sea. After the birth of her first daughter, she unexpectedly experienced postpartum anxiety and depression, and then in another twist of events, developed postpartum OCD after her second birth. The experience really opened her eyes to the fact that most modern-day parents no longer have a village, and that parents must matter too. “We all go into parenthood thinking that we should know how to parent, either instinctually or from mainstream media, when in fact that really isn’t the case because of how the world is currently set up for growing families,” says Erin. “In the past, parents had more of a village–mothers, grandmothers, aunts–nearby to rely on and learn from.”
During Erin’s first pregnancy she had no idea what a doula was, but quickly learned and had both a birth doula and a postpartum doula for both perinatal experiences. The invaluable support that Erin received with her doulas later inspired her to become one herself. She says, “My postpartum journey is why this place exists. I knew where to go for support, and I want Beyond Birthing to be that place for parents.”
Erin’s goal with Beyond Birthing was to bring the village of support needed by expecting and new parents to one location. When you walk into Beyond Birthing you enter one beautifully designed open space, where every area is clean and organized.
Erin put a lot of thought into the furnishings, adding a large modular sectional with storage for nursing pillows under each seat. She wanted the space to feel comfortable and also be able to be rearranged to host a variety of different classes and groups.
Off the main area, Beyond Birthing also includes four separate offices housing Clinical Mental Health Support with Samantha Watson, LICSW; Lactation and Feeding Support with Kira Kim, IBCLC, RLC and Sarah Gregory, IBCLC; Massage Therapy with Joanne Sheridan, LMT: and Perinatal and Pediatric Nutrition and Microbiome support (including food sensitivities while breastfeeding) with Danielle Shea Tan, MS, CNS, LDN.
Beyond Birthing is also connected with Foundations Family Chiropractic and Erin worked very closely with owner Dr. Courtney Neill, when she opened her space to partner on complimentary services and create a cohesive environment that flows from one space to the next.
Erin and Dr. Courtney Neill
Having all of these services under one roof plays into Erin’s idea that new and expecting parents should be able to come in…maybe starting with a Prenatal Yoga Class or the newly launched Prenatal Support Group…and then find all the support they need for their physical and mental perinatal wellness journey. Once baby arrives, parents are also welcome to bring them along to any appointments or groups at Beyond Birthing.
Erin encourages expectant parents to be proactive, not reactive. For example, “You don’t have to suffer through back pain for all of your pregnancy. One CAN be comfortable in pregnancy, and there are comfort measures available, like the ones I teach with Spinning BabiesⓇ, as well as receiving routine chiropractic adjustments and/or prenatal massages.” She continues, “You can also register for a gift card to Beyond Birthing to use for any support groups or classes. Get the help you’ll need, instead of baby gear that you’ll only use for a short time.”
Beyond Birthing offers a variety of classes and support groups that you can find at www.beyondbirthingvillage.com. New clients can reach out to Erin directly at [email protected] to set up a free consultation where she’ll walk you through the services that would be the best fit for YOU, YOUR baby and YOUR perinatal experience. Beyond Birthing is FSA/HSA eligible, and offers financial assistance to community members and Mass Health subscribers.
Their “Core Curriculum” focuses on Labor & Birth Preparation, Spinning BabiesⓇ Body & Comfort Measures, Breastfeeding Your Baby, and Newborn, New Parent & Grandparent Essentials. There are several weekly and monthly support groups, with the most popular being the New Baby Support Group & Baby Feeding Cafe which meets two times a week, is open to all birthing people and their partners no matter how many times they have given birth, and always has a lactation consultant available to assist with any breastfeeding, bottle or other feeding questions.
Additionally, partners, dads and grandparents have a big place at Beyond Birthing too. Bros, Babies & Beef (with roast beef sandwiches from Nick’s) has a monthly weekend group and a paternity leave edition for weekly support, and grandparents love The Grand Support Group. New groups are being consistently added, and if you are interested in starting one that doesn’t yet exist, all you need to do is reach out to Erin.
During my visit, I had the pleasure of meeting not just Erin, but one of her clients and another client’s mother who dropped in to inquire about the Grand Support Group. They both had such wonderful things to say about both Erin and the Beyond Birthing Community. It is truly a special place on the North Shore that you won’t want to miss checking out if you’re expecting or have a new baby under 12 months old.
Keep up with the schedule at Beyond Birthing by checking out their website at www.beyondbirthingvillage.com and following along with them on Instagram @beyondbirthingvillage or on Facebook at @beyondbirthingbeverly.
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This post is sponsored by Beyond Birthing but all opinions present are my own.