Becoming a parent can be an exciting, but challenging time. Having a newborn baby will change your life drastically and it’s hard to really grasp the demands of a newborn until you’re rocking the baby in the middle of the night and trying to get as much sleep as you can — in between feeds and diaper changes.
Feeling supported as a parent and having access to resources while you transition into parenthood is essential for your well-being and the well-being of your baby, but many new parents don’t receive the support they need. Luckily, for parents living in Airdrie and the surrounding area, Bump, Birth & Beyond provides the support they’re looking for.
Registered midwife Jenny Limoges and chiropractor Dr. Kyla Miller are two moms who have worked together in health care for several years. They opened Bump, Birth & Beyond, an integrated health clinic on Main Street, in the spring of 2024 to provide services that support pregnancy and early parenthood.
Miller and Limoges experienced first-hand what it was like to lack support from health-care services when their kids were babies. They didn’t want other parents to have to go through such an important life transition alone, so they took a chance on a dream.
“It is such an important, but also highly vulnerable time for pregnant women, and then for families,” says Limoges. “In our society, we are very independent as parents, and I don’t think that behooves us. I think COVID really isolated parents, and it did a lot of damage to mental health.”
As a midwife, Limoges sees what women and their families endure throughout pregnancy, birth and postpartum. She says being able to support not only the mom, but also the family, through various services and group sessions is an important part of Bump, Birth & Beyond.
The collaborative practice offers midwifery care, lactation and feeding support, dietitian services, pelvic-floor physiotherapy, massage therapy, and more. Child/youth physiotherapy and speech therapy are also available for children who need extra support. The collaborative atmosphere means that the practitioners can integrate the services to improve outcomes for every member of the family.
Bump, Birth & Beyond organizes monthly meetups for new parents, including one just for dads. A prenatal childbirth-education course is offered regularly, as well as programs for toddlers and parents, including an upcoming gross motor skills baby class to encourage developmental milestones.
“We just want to be that place where people can go to connect,” says Miller.
Miller worked with Limoges at Central Health Chiropractic & Wellness Clinic prior to opening Bump, Birth & Beyond just next door.
The passionate business owners have also been organizing markets twice a year for families in Airdrie. Miller says they collect lightly used clothing donations for the whole family, so they can put together markets and provide families with an opportunity to shop for free and connect with each other. They also collect new and used toy donations during the holiday season.
“We want it to feel like a hand up, not a hand-out. We bundle the clothing so it looks like something you would buy at a boutique,” says Miller.
Adds Limoges: “We really want people to feel good and have lots of dignity when they come to these events, because that’s something we know can be lost when people are in a time of need.”
Learn more at bumpbirthandbeyond.ca.
