Birth Roots Maine

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.

01/30/2026

grow your flock, deepen your flock, expand your flock, ask your flock to gather in new ways, with renewed purpose, to evolve beyond what it has been in the past 🪺 to meet this moment - Birth Roots

The ice will melt from our warmth as we become responsive systems of care and emergent systems of support 🕊️ .
01/27/2026

The ice will melt from our warmth as we become responsive systems of care and emergent systems of support 🕊️ .

It is time to and by flock I mean, become responsive systems of care and emergent networks of support.
01/26/2026

It is time to and by flock I mean, become responsive systems of care and emergent networks of support.

Little Gnomes Winter Garden 2026: a designated time & space for sweetness and whimsey amidst the chaos and uncertainty🫶G...
01/26/2026

Little Gnomes Winter Garden 2026: a designated time & space for sweetness and whimsey amidst the chaos and uncertainty🫶

Guests will purchase tickets based on staggard entrance times into the Gnome Zone 9/9:30/10/10:30/11/11:30 with an hour of exploring other parts of the Museum before or after.

Admission to the 2026 Little Gnomes Winter Garden event is $9 per Gnome (ages 9 to 36 months) and $9 per adult chaperone, *babies 9 months and younger do not require a ticket. Your LGWG ticket includes an hour of free play time before or after your Gnome Zone play time!

Siblings older than 36 months are welcome to enjoy all of the other aspects of the Museum with a caregiver and purchase of museum admission.

By purchasing a ticket to this event, I acknowledge that photographs may be taken and grant permission for my image to be used for the storytelling and communication purposes of both Birth Roots and the Children's Museum & Theater of Maine.

CMTM admissions discounts do not apply to this event. If admission ticket fees are a barrier, please reach out to guestservices@kitetails.org for assistance.

Tickets drop this Wednesday at noon!

01/25/2026

My loves, a reminder, especially right now:
Mental health isn’t a luxury.
It’s infrastructure.

We are living through layered trauma: personal, collective, historical. And our bodies are keeping score, even when our minds try to push through. Some of us feel it loudly. Some of us feel it sideways. Some of us don’t feel it until we collapse.

If you’re neurodivergent, sensitive, highly attuned, or living in a body that registers micro-stress as full-body alarm—nothing is “wrong” with you. Your nervous system is doing its job. The work now is helping it stand down, again and again, so we can stay resourced for what’s ahead.

A few grounded, science-based ways to care for yourself (take what helps, leave the rest):

Connection as medicine
• Reach for your flock, or form a new one
• Small talk can feel like gaslighting. Check in on people, one at a time or in a group chat. Text, but also call, co-regulation stabilizes when we are wobbly and can be created by saying, I just wanted to hear your voice because you're an important part of my world.
• Help each other make sense of what is happening and share the recommended next steps. Make sure people have what they need. Mutual care builds resilience.

If your thoughts are spiraling
• Scrolling endlessly often adds stimulation. If you need to stay informed, set a timer (10–20 minutes), then stop.
• Try naming what’s happening instead of fixing it: “My body is in threat mode.” Naming reduces intensity.
• If you dissociate or go numb, temperature shifts can help—cold water on wrists, warm tea in your hands.

Food as nervous-system support (not rules)
• Regular meals help stabilize mood. Skipping meals = stress signal.
• Foods with complex carbs + protein (soups, beans, eggs, rice, toast with nut butter) help steady blood sugar, which directly affects anxiety.
• Warm foods can be grounding when the world feels sharp.
• Hydration matters more than perfection.

Regulating breath & body
• Extended exhales calm the nervous system. Try: inhale 4 seconds, exhale 6–8 seconds, a few rounds. Longer exhales = more safety signals.
• Stretching without performance. Gentle neck rolls, shoulder shrugs, folding forward, lying on the floor with knees bent. No goals. Just sensation.
• Pressure helps. Weighted blankets, tight hugs (with consent), wrapping yourself in a sweatshirt, or pressing your feet firmly into the ground.

Rest is not retreat
Rest is what allows us to keep showing up.
Burnout helps no one. Collapse is not a strategy.

We are going to have different reactions and different capacities. Some people will need movement. Some will need stillness. Some will need humor. Some will need quiet. All of it is valid.

Preserving yourself is part of the work.
Care is not disengagement.
Regulation is not complacency.
Staying well is how we stay in this.

If you need a place to land, I’m here.
And if you’re already holding others—thank you. Don’t forget to hold yourself too. 💛

Little Gnomes Winter Garden 2026 - a designated time & space for sweetness and whimsey amidst the chaos and uncertainty🫶...
01/24/2026

Little Gnomes Winter Garden 2026 - a designated time & space for sweetness and whimsey amidst the chaos and uncertainty🫶
Ticket link goes live Wednesday January 28th

$9 per person, babies 9 months and under do not need a ticket. Tickets include 45 minutes in the Gnome Zone and an hour of free play time in the rest of the Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine before or after your Gnome Zone play time. Families are invited to sign up for a timed slot and then play before or after in the CMTM exhibits. Siblings older than 36 months are welcome to enjoy the rest of the Museum with a caregiver and purchase of museum admission.

🍄Little Gnomes Winter Garden 2026🍄 a designated time & space for sweetness and whimsey amidst the chaos and uncertainty🫶...
01/22/2026

🍄Little Gnomes Winter Garden 2026🍄 a designated time & space for sweetness and whimsey amidst the chaos and uncertainty🫶 for toddlers and babies younger than 36 months and their caregivers!

Families who live in the greater Portland, South Portland, Westbrook and Scarborough areas (as well as Lewiston/Auburn) ...
01/21/2026

Families who live in the greater Portland, South Portland, Westbrook and Scarborough areas (as well as Lewiston/Auburn) have endured a very difficult week of both primary and secondary trauma. It is time to flock and by flock I mean, become responsive systems of care and emergent networks of support.

The year was 1996.

LESS THAN 100 DAYS AWAY!
01/21/2026

LESS THAN 100 DAYS AWAY!

REMINDER: Eat, Sleep, Feed is not meeting next Wednesday (Jan 28). We will see you back on Feb 4 to chat about all thing...
01/21/2026

REMINDER: Eat, Sleep, Feed is not meeting next Wednesday (Jan 28). We will see you back on Feb 4 to chat about all things feeding and lactation with .ibclc!

Address

16 Vannah Avenue
Portland, ME
04101

Opening Hours

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

Telephone

+12077724784

Website

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Facilitated Group Sourcing

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.