The fourth trimester begins with the birth of your baby and is a unique period of adjustment in family life. Birth recovery, bonding, breastfeeding, lack of sleep, stress, learning, integration, healing, and all the emotions are part of the first twelve weeks.

This class covers the changes, challenges, strategies and practical tools that help parents plan ahead, as well as local resources for parents to find support if and when they need it.

You will learn:

• What to expect in the first few weeks

• Tips for partner support, and the kind of support that partners themselves need

• Warming foods that are easy to digest, build blood and milk, and support recovery

• Setting expectations and boundaries for family and community members, and how to communicate what you need

• Relaxation and self-regulation techniques that calm frazzled nerves and frazzled babies

• Common challenges that arise, simple approaches to address them, and helpful resources, including bodyworkers, lactation consultants, nutrition, and more

• How to find and connect with community

• Community resources for lactation support, emotional wellness, and practical assistance in the postpartum

$40 per birthing parent and their partner or support person. To register, please contact krystina@barakabirth.com

On maternity leave this winter? Connection is crucial! Come spend your Tuesday mornings with new mamas and babes in a circle of friendship and solidarity. There will be blankets for tummy time, tea and snacks for you. You know what we won't feature? Judgment or unsolicited advice! Led by two moms: midwife Krystina Friedlander and chiropractor Melissa McCue, who know just how messy life can be.

The winter postpartum series runs from Jan 7 - March 31. Free and open to all with new littles.

Please RSVP to krystina@barakabirth.com

On maternity leave this winter? Connection is crucial! Come spend your Tuesday mornings with new mamas and babes in a circle of friendship and solidarity. There will be blankets for tummy time, tea and snacks for you. You know what we won't feature? Judgment or unsolicited advice! Led by two moms: midwife Krystina Friedlander and chiropractor Melissa McCue, who know just how messy life can be.

The winter postpartum series runs from Jan 7 - March 31. Free and open to all with new littles.

Please RSVP to krystina@barakabirth.com

Today’s postpartum group is CANCELLED due to illness and burst kitchen pipes!

On maternity leave this winter? Connection is crucial! Come spend your Tuesday mornings with new mamas and babes in a circle of friendship and solidarity. There will be blankets for tummy time, tea and snacks for you. You know what we won't feature? Judgment or unsolicited advice! Led by two moms: midwife Krystina Friedlander and chiropractor Melissa McCue, who know just how messy life can be.

The winter postpartum series runs from Jan 7 - March 31. Free and open to all with new littles.

Please RSVP to krystina@barakabirth.com

On maternity leave this winter? Connection is crucial! Come spend your Tuesday mornings with new mamas and babes in a circle of friendship and solidarity. There will be blankets for tummy time, tea and snacks for you. You know what we won't feature? Judgment or unsolicited advice! Led by two moms: midwife Krystina Friedlander and chiropractor Melissa McCue, who know just how messy life can be.

The winter postpartum series runs from Jan 7 - March 31. Free and open to all with new littles.

Please RSVP to krystina@barakabirth.com

On maternity leave this winter? Connection is crucial! Come spend your Tuesday mornings with new mamas and babes in a circle of friendship and solidarity. There will be blankets for tummy time, tea and snacks for you. You know what we won't feature? Judgment or unsolicited advice! Led by two moms: midwife Krystina Friedlander and chiropractor Melissa McCue, who know just how messy life can be.

The winter postpartum series runs from Jan 7 - March 31. Free and open to all with new littles.

Please RSVP to krystina@barakabirth.com

On maternity leave this winter? Connection is crucial! Come spend your Tuesday mornings with new mamas and babes in a circle of friendship and solidarity. There will be blankets for tummy time, tea and snacks for you. You know what we won't feature? Judgment or unsolicited advice! Led by two moms: midwife Krystina Friedlander and chiropractor Melissa McCue, who know just how messy life can be.

The winter postpartum series runs from Jan 7 - March 31. Free and open to all with new littles.

Please RSVP to krystina@barakabirth.com

On maternity leave this winter? Connection is crucial! Come spend your Tuesday mornings with new mamas and babes in a circle of friendship and solidarity. There will be blankets for tummy time, tea and snacks for you. You know what we won't feature? Judgment or unsolicited advice! Led by two moms: midwife Krystina Friedlander and chiropractor Melissa McCue, who know just how messy life can be.

Please RSVP to krystina@barakabirth.com

Check the Herbstalk website for more information. Time TBD.

The "Fertility Awareness Method" (FAM) is a sympto-thermal birth control option that relies on tracking the body’s fertility signals, including changes in resting temperature, cervical fluid, and the cervix itself, and using that information to either avoid or achieve a pregnancy.

By paying attention to what is happening in our bodies, we learn what's normal for us, what a healthy cycle looks and feels like, what cervical fluid is and what it means and how our cycles and reproductive health represent a fifth vital sign communicating our overall wellness. This is what we *should* have learned in high school health class.

For those who are concerned about the health, emotional, and environmental impacts of hormonal and other forms of birth control, anyone seeking to maximize their chances of pregnancy, or those seeking greater intimacy with their own experience of their bodies, FAM is a fantastic method. Side effects include greater knowledge of your body, increased communication with your partner, and empowered self-care. (And FYI, it is NOT the rhythm method!).

In this class, midwife and herbalist Krystina Friedlander will review the physiology of our monthly cycles, introduce the signs of fertility, methods for tracking those signs, and the rules to apply to avoid pregnancy (or conversely, to become pregnant). Participants will also receive an individualized follow-up session over Skype or similar platform to review their charts and ask questions.

In traditional medical systems, the postpartum is considered an especially vulnerable period in a person’s life. The physical challenges of pregnancy and childbirth require a period of rest—often specified as 40 days of complete rest and support—to allow the body to recuperate. Beyond physical recuperation, it is the beginning of a new relationship between the birthing parent and their baby, and the baby’s family.

In contemporary dominant western culture, and especially in the United States, the postpartum period is disregarded; parents are often expected to return to work within a few weeks or sooner. Lack of support, inappropriate foods, and lack of awareness around the parent’s special physical, psychological, and emotional needs have made the postpartum a serious challenge for American families. Family, friends, and community members, doulas and other birthworkers, and practitioners of various healing modalities, provide invaluable support to families during this special time, and can help a parent and their baby get off to the best start, setting the tone for the months and years to come.

This class introduces the use of herbs as teas, in foods, and in other preparations, as a means to relieve common challenges of the postpartum period. I will distinguish between safe, general approaches, and specific treatments that require referral to a trained herbalist or other appropriate practitioner.

Cost is $50. This workshop is being offered as part of a DONA CEU weekend and this class is approved for 2 DONA CEU contact hours. For a complete list of classes offered, please see www.reliefparenting.com

This free pregnancy support group is for pregnant people to be in community with one another, sharing stories and finding support in a compassionate and judgment-free space. Led by Krystina Friedlander, a licensed midwife, and Loren Allard, a chiropractor, we'll explore pregnancy, birth and the postpartum through conversation, guided creative practices, and physical movement. Seek and share friendship, support, ideas, and resources as you prepare for the birth of your child. All kinds of pregnant folks and all kinds of births warmly welcomed. 

Sign up at www.reliefparenting.com. Please contact Krystina at krystina@barakabirth.com with any questions you may have.

This free pregnancy support group is for pregnant people to be in community with one another, sharing stories and finding support in a compassionate and judgment-free space. Led by Krystina Friedlander, a licensed midwife, and Loren Allard, a chiropractor, we'll explore pregnancy, birth and the postpartum through conversation, guided creative practices, and physical movement. Seek and share friendship, support, ideas, and resources as you prepare for the birth of your child. All kinds of pregnant folks and all kinds of births warmly welcomed. 

Sign up at www.reliefparenting.com. Please contact Krystina at krystina@barakabirth.com with any questions you may have.

Oh no! Loren and I both sick we’re keeping our germs to ourselves and cancelling. Take care of yourselves out there!

This free pregnancy support group is for pregnant people to be in community with one another, sharing stories and finding support in a compassionate and judgment-free space. Led by Krystina Friedlander, a licensed midwife, and Loren Allard, a chiropractor, we'll explore pregnancy, birth and the postpartum through conversation, guided creative practices, and physical movement. Seek and share friendship, support, ideas, and resources as you prepare for the birth of your child. All kinds of pregnant folks and all kinds of births warmly welcomed. 

Sign up at www.reliefparenting.com. Please contact Krystina at krystina@barakabirth.com with any questions you may have.

This free pregnancy support group is for pregnant people to be in community with one another, sharing stories and finding support in a compassionate and judgment-free space. Led by Krystina Friedlander, a licensed midwife, and Loren Allard, a chiropractor, we'll explore pregnancy, birth and the postpartum through conversation, guided creative practices, and physical movement. Seek and share friendship, support, ideas, and resources as you prepare for the birth of your child. All kinds of pregnant folks and all kinds of births warmly welcomed. 

Sign up at www.reliefparenting.com. Please contact Krystina at krystina@barakabirth.com with any questions you may have.

This free pregnancy support group is for pregnant people to be in community with one another, sharing stories and finding support in a compassionate and judgment-free space. Led by Krystina Friedlander, a licensed midwife, and Loren Allard, a chiropractor, we'll explore pregnancy, birth and the postpartum through conversation, guided creative practices, and physical movement. Seek and share friendship, support, ideas, and resources as you prepare for the birth of your child. All kinds of pregnant folks and all kinds of births warmly welcomed. 

Sign up at www.reliefparenting.com. Please contact Krystina at krystina@barakabirth.com with any questions you may have.

When you change the way you view birth, the way you birth will change.
-Marie F. Mongan

HypnoBirthing® is a comprehensive childbirth course, offering not only information about what to expect in labor, ways to support a healthy pregnancy and postpartum, and options around your choices, but equips parents with relaxation techniques that make childbirth a more smooth and joyful experience. And does hypnosis for childbirth really work? Yes! Check out what Rebecca Dekker has to say about the research at Evidence Based Birth.

Taught by an experiencing HypnoBirthing® educator, midwife and doula, and HypnoBirthing® mama herself, we will explore the cultural origins around our collective fears of childbirth and dismantle them. By breaking the fear-tension-pain cycle, we make space for different expectations and experiences of birth, including those that may surprise you.

Group classes are $285 per birthing parent and partner or companion and are held at Relief: A Parenting Respite & Resource Center in Hampton, NH. The cost includes all materials, including the HypnoBirthing® book. To sign up, please contact krystina@barakabirth.com or register here .

Hi folks - my kiddo is sick and I need to do all the immune herbs at home. I will reschedule the class for those who registered. Please contact me if you’d like to be included.

Kids are in school/daycare, temperatures are dropping, and we're all running around trying to do too much, on too little sleep. Herbal medicine offers safe, convenient and inexpensive ways to boost the immune system for kids and parents alike. In this class we'll look at some of the big blows to our immunity, consider strategies to reduce our chances of picking up bugs, and explore ways to incorporate (pregnancy and lactation safe!) herbs to strengthen our immune systems, such as echinacea, elder berries, reishi and chaga mushrooms, ginger, and good old garlic. You'll go home with recipes for soups, teas, steams and more, and we'll brew up an elder berry syrup, so you can see for yourself how fun and easy it is to make your own herbal medicine!

The class is $30 per person, childcare is available and is an additional $5. To sign up, contact krystina@barakabirth.com.

When you change the way you view birth, the way you birth will change.
-Marie F. Mongan

HypnoBirthing® is a comprehensive childbirth course, offering not only information about what to expect in labor, ways to support a healthy pregnancy and postpartum, and options around your choices, but equips parents with relaxation techniques that make childbirth a more smooth and joyful experience. And does hypnosis for childbirth really work? Yes! Check out what Rebecca Dekker has to say about the research at Evidence Based Birth.

Taught by an experiencing HypnoBirthing® educator, midwife and doula, and HypnoBirthing® mama herself, we will explore the cultural origins around our collective fears of childbirth and dismantle them. By breaking the fear-tension-pain cycle, we make space for different expectations and experiences of birth, including those that may surprise you.

Group classes are $285 per birthing parent and partner or companion and are held at Relief: A Parenting Respite & Resource Center in Hampton, NH. The cost includes all materials, including the HypnoBirthing® book. To sign up, please contact krystina@barakabirth.com.

See Layla B's website for specific information on how to sign up and times.

Plant medicines offer incredible resources towards healing, nourishment, rebalancing and emotional integration in the postpartum. In this presentation, midwife and herbalist Krystina Friedlander will describe her approach to the postpartum period, exploring some of the main challenges as well as herbs that she works with to support women in the wild weeks after their baby’s birth.

This presentation will include an overview of the main herbal actions that are relevant to the postpartum, including warming, nourishing, promoting lactation and tissue healing, and supporting the liver. She covers plants that may be new to many, but also explores herbs and spices that most of us already have in our kitchen cabinet or are readily available at the grocery store. Her intention is for pregnant and postpartum mamas to feel empowered to use plant medicine, starting with the herbs and spices that are within reach.

The first three months of the postpartum is a wild ride: our bodies are recovering from pregnancy and birth, we’re feeding our babies, adapting to little sleep and just generally experiencing “the new normal” of having a baby, whether the first or fifth! Join midwife and herbalist Krystina Friedlander as we explore the “fourth trimester” drawing on traditional medicinal ways of understanding postpartum recovery, and herbs and foods that promote healing, rest, and recovery. These will include herbs to address healing tissues, food and herbs to balance hormones and lactation, herbs to comfort and calm, and more.

Herbal medicine offers an incredible array of safe, nutritive, and healing plants that help to nourish a healthy pregnancy and prepare for birth. These include nourishing, iron-rich tonics, herbs to support our digestion and elimination (goodbye constipation!), promote restful sleep, and many more, with a focus on neighborhood plants local to New England.

Please note, this event has been cancelled.

Whether we are planning a pregnancy or have struggles conceiving, we can turn to plant allies to prepare our bodies and to address obstacles to conception. In this workshop, midwife and herbalist Krystina Friedlander will explore her approaches to fertility and some of the key herbs and foods she uses with her clients. This information goes beyond preparing for conception, but is all about a healthy and well-nourished life, as well as a healthy pregnancy, smooth birth, and a strong recovery.

Whether we are planning a pregnancy or have struggles conceiving, we can turn to plant allies to prepare our bodies and to address obstacles to conception. In this workshop, midwife and herbalist Krystina Friedlander will explore her approaches to fertility and some of the key herbs and foods she uses with her clients. This information goes beyond preparing for conception, but is all about a healthy and well-nourished pregnancy, smooth birth, and a strong recovery.

This Herbal Intensive will explore the energetics of pregnancy, birth and the postpartum, and look at the companion herbs that support wellness during these periods. In addition to general tonics for the first through "fourth" trimesters, Krystina will look at specific pregnancy complications and variations that arise, such as hypertension, varicosities,  pregnancies that go beyond 41 weeks, breech positioning, and others, and offer herbal allies and nutritional recommendations to help keep things within the range of normal. This class is appropriate for midwives, doctors, doulas, and other birth professionals interested in enhancing their knowledge of traditional and alternative approaches to the childbearing year, as well as pregnant people who want to use herbal medicine in their pregnancies safely and wisely.