New Innovative Full-Service Perinatal Hub Launches In Oakland, Calif.
East Bay Birth Collective Includes Perinatal Services of Midwifery, Lactation, Pelvic Health, Psychotherapy, Relationship Support Between Partners & Baby, Therapy Groups, Postpartum Depression & Anxiety Support, Parent Circles, Professional Offerings, and More!
Grand Opening:
Saturday, September 14, 2024
East Bay Birth Collective
6333 Telegraph Avenue #103, Oakland, Calif.
BunBao Dumpling Truck, Brown Cap Organic Soft Serve Ice Cream, Give-Aways
(4pm – 6pm)
Oakland, Calif. — Friday, September 6, 2024 — Perinatal care in the SF Bay Area welcomes a new collaborative care space built to support families with the official opening of the East Bay Birth Collective (EBBC). Never before has the need for in-person community and connection in the perinatal space been more vital than now with the outsized pressures on modern parents and the lack of vital resources offered to parents and families. EBBC serves to make critical changes to the broken health care and medical systems for the betterment of new mothers, growing families, and parents who warrant a space with a range of essential holistic services. The fundamental offerings provided by EBBC in a single community space allows for a level of care unlike any other center in California.
Even with the most thorough preparation, navigating pregnancy and postpartum can be isolating, confusing, and vulnerable. Many new parents embark on this journey with an array of unexpected trials and tribulations, whether it be tongue ties and pelvic organ prolapse to the mechanics of babywearing, pumping, and managing postpartum anxiety. EBBC centralizes access to core perinatal health services and offers in-person community-building and education for whole families. EBBC helps pregnant and postpartum people (and their families) build resources and connections to foster a backbone for finding their ways through with compassion and community.
EBBC is built on the foundation of five co-founders who each run their own independent small businesses, but are now operating under one roof to offer, normalize and highlight what quality and comprehensive perinatal care looks like. EBBC is led by visionary director Morgan West (Licensed Midwife, Hummingbird Midwifery, LINK) who works alongside Evaly Long (Licensed Midwife, Island Midwife, LINK). EBBC features autonomous practices from Robyn Alagona Cutler (Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, specializing in Perinatal Mental Health, WEBSITE, INSTAGRAM), Anietie Ukpe-Wallace (Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist, LINK), Laura Howells (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant & Postpartum Doula, LINK), and a soon to be announced Doula Team.
“At the heart of EBBC is the humanity of parents seeking more interconnectedness and community-based values to nurture us along one of the most rewarding and most difficult paths in life,” says Morgan West. “Over the past decade, I’ve witnessed what some see as innovations in health care, but to me, looks like a systematization that takes away from the essentially human element of growing families. An onslaught of new apps and digital platforms with endless fact-based research/answers have a major missing component: human contact. As we bring new babies into this world, we need a space to reflect on and connect in the joy, hardships, and shared-experiences. Flashy and majorly funded projects only go so far and largely miss the fundamental need of being together. EBBC offers a paradigm shift to a long overdue problem of underserving birthers and parents.”
With the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy‘s Opinion Essay in The New York Times entitled “Surgeon General: Parents Are at Their Wits’ End. We Can Do Better” (LINK), he is bringing to light the acute crisis of unbearable stress and mental health concerns facing parents and caregivers. The guest editorial states, “A recent study by the American Psychological Association revealed that 48 percent of parents say most days their stress is completely overwhelming, compared with 26 percent of other adults who reported the same. They are navigating traditional hardships of parenting — worrying about money and safety, struggling to get enough sleep — as well as new stressors, including omnipresent screens, a youth mental health crisis and widespread fear about the future,” (U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, The New York Times, August 28, 2024).
EBBC knits together the fabric of the perinatal community where prioritizing wellness is not only a priority, but a human right. EBBC brings together wide-ranging and essential perinatal health services, unlike any other space in the East Bay, while nurturing an inspiring physical location focused on community building.
To learn more, please attend the Grand Opening event taking place on Saturday, September 14, 2024 (4pm – 6pm) with introductions by each EBBC practitioner, food by BunBao Dumpling Truck, ice cream by Brown Cap Organic Soft Serve, and giveaways for pregnant and postpartum people. EBBC is located at 6333 Telegraph Avenue #103, Oakland, Calif. (near Alcatraz & Telegraph Avenue).
About East Bay Birth Collective
East Bay Birth Collective is a group of perinatal providers who care deeply about the needs of our community. We consider the transition to parenthood and the time surrounding it deserving of deep honor, holding, compassion and connection. Our hub for in-person community-building, classes, support groups, and individualized care is here for you. We hope that every family has a community uplifting them and people who understand.
For more information, please visit:
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
