Growing Community at the Nurturing Circle
by Brita Johnson, Bridgetown Baby Lead Doula and Nurturing Circle Founder
Bridgetown Baby’s Nurturing Circle for Growing Families - it’s a mouthful! More frequently referred to as the Nurturing Circle, or just “the Circle,” this group has been a touchstone for new families since its birth in 2019.
Nurturing Circle, ca. April 2019
And, honestly, it’s been a touchstone for me, as the main Nurturing Circle facilitator over the years. Each week, it’s an honor to open the circle, hold space, and hear the stories of families in transition from pregnancy, through postpartum, and into toddlerhood. I’m humbled by the vulnerability that the NC parents bring to the group, along with their courage, pragmatism and deep love. Watching parents grow in confidence and support each other across the many questions and challenges of early parenthood is an inspiration!
When we started in 2019, our goal was to fill a gap in the support network for new families. We gathered on Sunday mornings, first at Wildhearts Wellness on Fremont and then at the gracious offices of Portland Pediatric Acupuncture in downtown Portland. When COVID hit, the Nurturing Circle was the first of our services we took online, followed by virtual doula support and virtual lactation appointments - little did we know then how much time we’d be spending on Zoom over the coming years!
While meeting across a screen might not have seemed an ideal way to be in community, the ability to reach each other via Zoom has amazed me. For two and a half years we’ve had steady and sweet virtual connections - learning together, laughing together, definitely crying together, and building friendships both within and outside of the meeting context.
For some participants, the Circle has been a brief place to get support and get questions answered by Bridgetown Baby doulas and lactation consultants as well as outside speakers from the broader community. For others, it’s been a weekly point of connection from pregnancy through 1st birthdays and beyond. “I have to have another baby, or I’ll have to leave the Nurturing Circle eventually, and then I don’t know what I’ll do,” one parent recently joked.
I hope you’ll join us when the time is right for you - come as you are, come late if you need to, come one week and then come in a month or two, bring a friend. This is your space - a place to build community, bring your tears and your smiles, and learn together. Join virtually on Tuesdays between 10:30am and 12:00pm.
BIG NEWS!! After more than two and a half years, we’re finally going to gather in person once again! Join me, meet friends you’ve only seen on screen, and watch the littles connect with each other: Saturday, October 8th, between 11:00am and 2:00pm in the outdoor pavilion at the Sellwood Community House. More details on social soon!
