El Nido De Esperanza: Nest of Hope
Nido De Esperanza ‘s Welcoming entrance to the nest!
Mothering Mothers in Washington Heights
A large component of my learning experiences that I am currently involved in, and most proud of, is the volunteer doula work I provide at El Nido De Esperanza. I have worked closely with pregnant & postpartum mothers leading prenatal and postnatal discussions, building relationships through guided meditations, yoga practices, playing with their babies, and sharing healthy recipes. I continue to learn so much from my time spent at El Nido’ and I am grateful to serve the amazing mothers (and incredible dedicated staff) who participate.
In addition to providing in house support through yoga and postpartum doula offerings, I provide community birth doula services in which have joined birthing parents in the hospital to support them through their labor and birth of their babies.
One pathway I connect my private clients to support this amazing organization is providing easy opportunities for them to pass along baby donations for me to directly pass along to mothers currently enrolled in Nido’s care. This helps to have quality items be up-cycled to loving in need homes and be put to immediate use! Many folks have an influx of so much “stuff” that is not always put to use, and items that babies quickly grow out of, that it helps to make space and spread the love to those who could use resourcing so they can better allocate their resources to more major budgeting priorities.
“ It occurred to me that a big part of what you are doing for our families is helping them feel less alone and more connected. I think that sometimes I think of your contributions as education, advocacy, presence at the doctor or presence at the birth, etc…… that is all true but perhaps the greatest gift you give our families is helping them feel less alone. And as this [NY Times ] article [on waging a war against loneliness]attests, it is a great gift. We are glad to have you in our community.”
Baby Boutique, one of the several support offerings for participants at Nido De Esperanza.