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Monday 10am - 1pm Tuesday 10am - 2pm Wednesday 10am - 2pm Thursday 10am - 1pm

Birth Roots Maine

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Portland, ME
Birth Roots Maine

Building a culture of support & non-clinical care throughout new & early parenthood
Welcome to Birth Roots!

Of all the things we need in expectant, new and early parenthood, *each other* makes the very top of the list. It is so valuable and informative to be part of a group of expectant parents with similar due dates to your own, to be able to hear other new parents' stories of daily life with a newborn, and to be able to ask questions of people who parent toddlers when you are too. Birth Roots classes cover a lot of ground, but building a vibrant community of local families experiencing the same stages and phases of new and early parenthood is something we prioritize! For today's parents, starting a family and raising children in a complex and rapidly changing world, creating true community requires a commitment to showing up for each other in ways that previous generations did not, otherwise, our time spent together will risk only being inclusive, informed, affirming, and sensitive to some community members and not others. There is much work to be done in every facet of our lives to end the institutional, structural and systemic harm and marginalization that persists without our shared effort to insist on something we do not yet have, equity and inclusion for all families. As an organization, Birth Roots does not have this all figured out yet, but we are doing this important work every single day. We invite you to make this part of your Big P Parenting effort, while simultaneously gaining skills in the little p parenting arena. In anticipation of participating in Birth Roots programs, consider what it takes to learn from parents with lived experience or identities that are not the same as your own. Some parents will be birthing in hospitals while others are birthing at home. Some have just moved to Maine, some are 4th generation Mainers, while others have roots to this place that go back thousands of years. Some families only speak English while others participate using English as their 7th language. Some families have two moms, or perhaps a parent who does not identify as either a mom or a dad. Some pregnancies arrived ahead of schedule, while others were the effort of multiple rounds of IVF/ART. Some members of our community experience the Portland area as too densely populated for their comfort - while others find the Portland area not nearly urban enough! What does it take to make all of these lived experiences feel represented and welcomed in the same class? We hope you will join us in actively seeking the answer to this question. Birth Roots Center for Community Supported Parenting is a nonprofit organization serving new parents in Southern Maine and beyond. Birth Roots fosters the deepening of community roots helps families become effective advocates for themselves and their children, and enhances interdependence among networks of families. We are committed to facilitating more meaningful conversations about expectant, new, and early parenthood. Rather than turning to Google for parenting advice, you have a local resource that can address your practical needs as well as offer a gathering space for you to "Find Your Flock"! You’ve just stumbled upon a treasure in Cumberland County's landscape. Amidst Greater Portland’s thriving Farmer’s Markets, extensive trail system, public spaces, and “Buy Local” movement, Birth Roots is an integral part of why Portland is consistently listed as one of the best places to live and raise a family in America.

04/03/2026

Maine's Paid Family Medical Leave program starts next month!

Maine Children's Alliance is hosting a webinar for employees and employers to learn more about Maine’s Paid Family Medical Leave Program before it goes live in May 2026.

There will be a presentation from the Paid Family Medical Leave Team at the Maine Department of Labor. We will record this webinar and share the recording with registrants.

When: Apr 27, 2026 05:30 PM Eastern Time

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/EuOiTXiuQyi1sLYei37ZIg
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with details on how to join the meeting.

We look forward to seeing you all there to kick off this awesome benefit for Maine families!

04/03/2026

What Maine Midwife, Martha Ballard, Didn't Know

Before obstetrics was even a field, Martha Ballard recorded some 10,000 entries between 1785 and 1812, serving the Hallowell area, crossing the frozen Kennebec River in winter, to midwife a total of 816 babies spanning her 27 years of caring for pregnant mothers in and around what has been anglicized, Augusta.

What Martha Ballard of Hallowell did not know in 1791 was that those details she scribed and preserved would be turned into a Pulitzer Prize winning publication in 1991, or that a free-standing birth center would be named after and invoke her legacy in the years following the publication of her words, her perspective, her knowledge. Martha would never know that this birthing center, The Ballard House, would serve as the launch pad for a non-profit organization, Birth Roots, that would redefine the perinatal care of new parents by building out missing infrastructure of non-clinical care in collaboration with more than 7,000 families - spanning the first two decades of the 21st century - in Cumberland County, Maine. Martha would never learn that in May of 2026, after years and years of advocacy work, Maine would become the 13th state to enact Paid Family Leave during a time in our country’s history where 25% of those holding a two week old baby in their arms, who should be resting and healing, in fact return to work just 10 days postpartum.

Maine is both a place and a state of mind. Maine is as Maine does… visionary, responsive, grounded in both values and the reality of melting snow, capillaries of groundwater becoming rivers of confluence, brackish water, vernal pools, nurseries for fostering next generations, comprising a whole greater than the sum of its parts. From these parts and from this whole, brilliant minds emerge and fill leadership vacuums. Maine’s voice, Maine’s legacy, Maine’s women, “punching above their weight class” as they have for 200 years.

04/02/2026

SO excited for the May Nature Camp Sessions to start in 4 weeks for Littles ages 6 months to 36 months in Birth Roots Outdoor Classroom!

Nature Connection Guide and father, Arnaud Gagne, shares his stories of introducing his infant son to Nature while bonding as a father. As a Nesting Ambassador, Arnaud integrates the science of the Evolved Nest with his training as a deep nature conn

03/31/2026

Facilitator in the Spotlight!
Jessica Ruscetta is part of the Child Birth Education department at Birth Roots. Jessica is a parent, as well as a doula and placenta encapsulation specialist with her business Rooted In Birth. She is also a major part of Community Doulas in Portland! Jessica is known for creating an inclusive environment where participants feel comfortable engaging in the variety of teaching methods in a Birth Roots class.

Jessica's website: https://www.rootedinbirth.com/ #/

03/31/2026

There are 2 spots left in the Pregnancy Class next week (Monday, 4/6 from 6-7:30pm)!

The Pregnancy Class is our 90 minute intro-session. It's an opportunity to get oriented and meet other expectant parents in this phase of life with similar first and second trimester questions, concerns, and considerations.

One registration covers two participants. We hope to see you there!

03/30/2026

Introducing our new Shared Identity Group - Pregnancy & Infant Loss.

Designed for parents who are surviving pregnancy and/or child loss (0-36 months old). For parents grieving the loss of their pregnancy at any stage, TFMR, or stillbirth, and for parents grieving the death of their baby, infant, or toddler.

This group is facilitated by Meghan Collier, LCSW, LICSW, c-IAYT of who's practice specializes in working with people experiencing grief, loss, and trauma. She has a particular passion for working with new parents in their postpartum period, pregnant people, people experiencing miscarriage, stillbirths, baby & child loss, and more.

The first meeting will be Tuesday, May 5 from 7-8:30p in out Treetop class room.

We are so grateful to Meghan for helping us create this group. You can learn more about this group on our website under Classes & Events.

03/27/2026

We care about safety & autonomy in birth for all, so this we're uplifting the work ofdoula.coalition who are working to advance access to as a way to improve
maternal health outcomes. Check them out!

Birth Roots would not be the organization it is without the incredible work of our facilitators, all of whom are perinatal doulas!

Thank you .ibclc, , , Maeve, and Leah for all you do.

03/25/2026

Liz’s story underscores the benefits of continuous labor support. Her doula
stayed through multiple shift changes at the hospital, patiently awaiting baby’s arrival &
supporting mom the whole way.

03/24/2026

Facilitator in the Spotlight!

Lisa Kourakos is one of the Child Birth Educators here at Birth Roots. She is also parenting two young children and is the owner/doula at Steady Birth! Participants in Lisa’s class often share feedback that she creates a classroom environment where participants feel fully informed of all their options and leave class with a new sense of empowerment.

Lisa's website: https://www.steadybirth.com/

03/22/2026

This we're spreading the word about these amazing support professionals who
help people bring their babies into the world with safety, autonomy, and joy! Check outdoula.coalition to learn more about efforts to uplift and advance access to doulas in
Maine.

Address

16 Vannah Avenue
Portland, ME
04101

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 1pm
Tuesday	10am - 2pm
Wednesday	10am - 2pm
Thursday	10am - 1pm

Telephone

+12077724784

Website

http://www.birthroots.org/

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You’ve just stumbled upon a hidden treasure in Southern Maine. Amidst Greater Portland’s thriving Farmer’s Markets, extensive trail system, public spaces, and “Buy Local” movement, Birth Roots is an integral part of why Portland is consistently listed as one of the best places to live and raise a family in America.

Since 2004 Birth Roots has been developing and delivering a unique model of community-based education and support that begins in pregnancy and continues throughout early parenting . The work of Birth Roots addresses social, emotional and non-clinical needs, emphasizes parental instincts and intuition, establishes robust networks of peer support, and sets the tone for Community Supported Parenting. We are committed to facilitating more meaningful conversations around birthing and parenting. Rather than relying on the internet for parenting advice, you have a local resource that can fill your practical needs as well as offer a space for you to connect, process, grow and thrive.