Who We Are and Why

Introduction

 

Humans are biologically wired to grow, live and thrive in a village; a clan; a tribe. Because of
this, infants have a high dependency on multi-generational modeling, interaction and near-
constant sensory contact from caregivers. Interactions with caregivers
are the driving force in a baby’s growth into compassionate,
regulated, resilient, confident and empathic child and adult. Today, in the United
States in particular, new caregivers often live far from family, which results in isolation and
extreme pressure on one to two increasingly distracted and often stressed caregivers.
 

We rightfully prioritize the physical wellness of pregnant mothers and infants in our medical
system, as evidenced by the average of twelve prenatal visits and seven infant visits during
the first year of life. Unfortunately, wellness for the caregiver – the essential influence on an
infant’s development – is lacking with just one postpartum visit at six weeks after birth.

 

However, a caregiver’s physical and mental well-being is intricately involved in an 
infant’s development and potential to thrive. Exhausted new parents
are expected to navigate their own physical and emotional needs often while feeling insecure as

to whether their struggles are ‘normal’ or expected. 
 

Enter Mind Body Baby NC. We are a collective of infant and postpartum practitioners that
plan to be a part of are changing that narrative for new families in Charlotte because taking

care of the caregiver IS taking care of the infant.

 

Our Mission

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Mind Body Baby exists to bridge the gaps in mental health care for mothers and birthing people in our community by providing knowledge, resources and equitable, peer-driven emotional support through their perinatal experience; because when parents are knowledgeable, equipped and valued their babies have the ability to reach their fullest potential.
 
MBB’s was founded in April 2018 by four practitioners, who continue to serve as

Executive Board members. The MBB collective has quickly expanded to a larger
community of practitioners and volunteers providing prenatal and postpartum
support to caretakers and families. The term ‘practitioner’ includes services such as

lactation consulting, maternal mental health therapy, doulas, midwives, infant massage,
chiropractors, sleep consultants, and other support and educational services. 

MBB fulfills our mission primarily through free, facilitated postpartum
support groups open to all caregivers in strategic locations around Charlotte on a regular,
reliable basis. Each group is facilitated by a perinatal specialist with perinatal mental health

training with specific training in maternal mental health and also features a rotation of the

collective’s practitioners to educate caregivers, thereby increasing confidence. Groups are attended by
fellow moms in the same season of the caregiving journey to help normalize the experience
and form community. We also have a Community Care Fund to close the gap when money
is an obstacle to access needed support including transportation for services, and more
direct, individual care in mental health, lactation or physical recovery.

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Long-Term Vision

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Our long-term goal is to have multiple permanent locations to serve various
Charlotte communities. These permanent locations would offer a multitude of offerings and
services to support any and all new caregivers in our community. In addition, we would
create a virtual community via a comprehensive app that connects parents with expertise
within our collective and community amongst the caregivers we serve.  We aspire to build
the currently lacking village that our community’s littlest humans and more importantly, their
caregivers, need to thrive.

 

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