Your Birth Team attends OC Pregnancy & Beyond 2016

On May 15th, 2016, pregnant families & birth professionals from Orange County & surrounding areas gathered at the SOCO shopping center in Costa Mesa, CA for the 6th Annual OC Pregnancy & Beyond. Hundreds of expecting mothers, fathers, grandparents, & siblings enjoyed dozens of vendor booths, giveaways, raffles, & demonstrations of products and services available to local families.

Pregnancy can be a time of joy, excitement, fear, concern, overwhelm, & utter confusion depending on who you talk to, what point in pregnancy they're at, & what resources they have found to help guide them through the transition into parenthood. One amazing resource Orange County families planning a baby's arrival have is Giselle Baturay & her boutique in Costa Mesa, Granola Babies. Not only are parents presented with a multitude of shopping options for their growing bellies and babies, they also have access to classes like Mom & Baby Yoga, workshops such as Breastfeeding 101, & fun baby/toddler art playdates! Because the owner of Granola Babies is a doula, childbirth educator, & lactation educator herself, she recognizes that a lot of parents don't necessarily know the options out there for education, resources, & support. Which brings us to the creation of an event dedicated solely to the expecting parents of Orange County!

Your Birth Team's members have attended Expos related to parenting and birthing before, and even wrote a blog about our experience at MommyCon last year. For this particular event, though, we decided to partake as vendors! Some of our members had experience sitting behind a booth at an event and handing out info, but this was a whole new ballgame! There really was no sitting to be had by us. A constant stream of pregnant and parenting moms and dads came to see what our business is all about and how we can offer support to their families. We had an absolute blast. We were exhausted and dry-mouthed by the end of the three hours but had educated hundreds of families on placenta encapsulation, belly binding, doula support, & more! So worth the time, energy, and effort.

Here are some images that capture the magic of the day!

Amanda & Brandy staying busy at the Your Birth Team table! So many bellies and babies!!!

RixiBaby Custom Nursing Pillow Giveaway!

Winner Alyssa taking home her prize!

This past client came to visit and contribute to our "Notes on Parenting" board! Her note read: "Belly Binding is a MUST." This mama worked with South Coast Midwifery through pregnancy and birthed her beautiful baby girl in their peaceful birthing center earlier this year.

Amanda caught in a candid moment during the busy event!

Winner Allyna was super excited to receive her gift certificate for Stevie Cruz Photography!

This pregnant mama and her first born baby are due next month. They're planning a home birth with Your Birth Team at their side. We can't wait to meet their little munchkin!

This ahhhhmazing papa loves babywearing and cloth diapering so much he spread the word at the event! The home birth cutie on his chest was calm & content even amidst the crowds!

Dozens of attendees participated in our "Notes on Parenting" board. We love it when parents' voices are heard! My personal favorite: "Listen to advice, but then do what feels safe/right for you!" Could not have said it better myself!

A special thanks to the Granola Babies staff for putting on a lovely event. As a vendor, the process could not have been smoother. We benefited greatly from the time and energy put into the setup and organization of the event and can't wait until next year!