If there’s one thing we know it’s that parenting is a journey that wasn’t meant to be undertaken in isolation - and yet, so many of us have felt alone on that path, wondering how we’re supposed to know all the things we need to know, how we’re supposed to make it through the tough parts, and how we can feel supported.

The evidence shows what many new parents have learned the hard way: inadequate social support is a risk factor for developing perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (1).The opportunity to get support in a peer setting reduces stigma about perinatal struggles, builds self-esteem, and increases parents’ capacity to effectively cope with the challenges of parenting (2). And learning about parenting young babies is proven to be effective in improving parents’ confidence, care knowledge, and breastfeeding success—and significantly decreases anxiety (3).

Fortunately, we live in a time and place where there are abundant opportunities for connection and community, whether in-person or virtual, indoors or outdoors, or for specific aspects of the parenting experience. See our list below!

The Bridgetown Baby team has been facilitating new parent support groups since 2018, first in partnership with other doula and lactation organizations and then—in 2019—with the birth of our own Nurturing Circle for Growing Families. The Nurturing Circle—or just “the Circle”—met in a few places before landing solidly online just a few weeks after the COVID lockdown in spring 2020, where it’s remained a mainstay for parents around Oregon and the United States.

Seven years strong, the Circle has expanded over the years to include in-person options in partnership with Sellwood Community House and Ready Set GROW - and Bridgetown Baby doulas and lactation consultants now host three weekly opportunities for parents to come together for mutual support and skill-building: