The My Sunshine Birth Doulas have been busy this past week with training, workshops, and networking.  I'll be doing a series of blog entries to let you know about all the adventures we've been on.  Here is our first stop Nashville's New Freestanding Birth Center.

First some of us went to the new Baby+Co Boutique Birth Center in Nashville TN to meet with the ladies behind the scenes, tour the facilities and learn about their practices.

Annie Reeder was our tour guide for the day and we can't thank her enough for her kindness and hospitality.  We met some of the midwives, nurses and administrative staff during our visit.  Because I've attended workshops and trainings within the Nashville birth community I did see some familiar faces, and I was glad to see they had found a suitable workplace for their talents and abilities. Everyone was happy to see us and thankful we made the drive.  We were met with lots of friendly faces.

One of the goals for the day was to be comfortable enough with the surroundings, set up and staff that we could walk in with a client in labor and feel confident.  We definitely succeeded at that.   I know that I could walk in and know where to go and what to expect.

"Navigating the birth center for our clients with ease is important to us". -My Sunshine Birth Services Network

Another goal for the day was to better understand who the birth center plans to serve and which clients to recommend their services too.  Baby+Co serves only low risk expectant parents.  While this is disappointing for some we have to understand that Baby+Co is not the solution for all moms, but a part of the solution for our current lack of maternity options.  I was very pleased to find that they require childbirth/prenatal education because I know the importance of that.  I was also happy to find that they have an organic juice option for the glucose test and will be offering water birth in the very near future.

After our tour we were able to enjoy a meal together and talk about our hopes for the network and our individual careers.   It's always nice to spend time bonding and sharing with other birth professionals.  We all have different goals.  We are all different doulas, different people and run in different circles of influence, but in the end we all want the best for our moms.  So thankful for this time at Baby+Co and I look forward to my first birth there.  Will it be you?

If you are interested in learning more about having a Baby+Co birth while being supported locally by a My Sunshine Birth Services Network Doula email mary@mysunshinebirth.com or visit www.mysunshinebirth.com/network to contact other network doulas.

Visit http://www.babyandcompany.com/ for more information