Belly Buttons - Childbirth Classes, Strollerfit & So Much More!

Belly Buttons…the innies and outies of childbirth opened in early 2001 with childbirth classes for both midwifery and OB clients in Waterloo Region. Belly Buttons has been growing every year and has enjoyed teaching hundreds of families over the past 10 years. Our Childbirth Classes and Natural Pain Management Workshops are based on the most up-to-date and relevant information for families seeking non-biased information in a cozy smaller class setting. We teach you all the possible options regarding prenatal care, labour, birth, and early postpartum so you can go on to make informed decisions. The classes are interactive and are taught by childbirth educators who take their job very seriously, but in a super fun way! We are pretty sure you will have a great time learning everything you need to know before you welcome your sweet baby into the family.

 Are you looking for something fun to do with baby during the day which involves, sunshine, strollers, and socializing? Do you want to be a buff mama and fit into your pre-baby jeans? Stroller Fit gives you all that and more! Tone your body, build muscle, improve your cardio, and stretch those achy tight baby-carrying muscles. Stroller Fit meets 3 mornings a week 9:30am for an hour of toning, cardio, and flexibility. This is a great physical and social activity to do with your baby and it runs year round either in Waterloo Park or on the track at the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex.  Stroller fit gives you a reason to put on your track pants,  come out to meet other new moms, and get a workout in while your baby naps or charms the rest of us in his or her stroller. All fitness levels are welcome and any stroller will do. Stroller fit with Belly Buttons offers you lots of flexibility. You can start anytime –your pass starts when you do and you have 3 months to use it up. You can buy an 8 week pass to come once per week; many moms choose to come either twice or three times per week to see results faster.  Your first class is FREE so come and check us out!

If you are looking for alternatives to starting baby on solids with rice cereal and jarred baby foods then you must check out our Baby FoodWorkshop. As Registered Holistic Nutritionists, we focus on eating fresh, real, whole foods and avoiding heavily processed “fortified” foods with long lists of ingredients we can’t pronounce. In our Baby Food workshop, we cover the workings of the baby’s digestive and immune systems, why to wait for 6 months, and how to introduce nutritious whole foods to baby and improve the nutrition for the rest of your family as well. Find out which foods make the best first foods for baby.  Super foods, essential fatty acids, and the benefits of probiotics are discussed as well as eating locally and organically when possible. We will answer your questions and give you many tips about the digestive health of baby including possible food intolerances. Our Baby Food Workshop is brought to you by both Belly Buttons and Wildberry Nutrition and Allergy Solutions (www.wildberrynutrition.com). Look for our new Toddler Nutrition Workshop coming in early summer 2012! 

Giving your baby the wonderful gift of loving touch not only benefits baby but yourself as well! Our Baby Massage Workshop will teach you all you need to know to share this soothing healing art with your beautiful baby. It is an amazing way to bond and communicate with your child and help with digestive issues. He or she will love the attention and the fabulous massage strokes you will learn with us. Lisa Dawson, our friendly neighbourhood Lactation Consultant, will visit this workshop for some breastfeeding support at the end of class so bring your questions! Connect with other new parents while learning this valuable technique and increase your circle of support. 

Belly Buttons has recently paired with experts in the fields of breastfeeding and also infant safety. For our Breastfeeding Workshop, we have Lisa Dawson who is a Registered Nurse and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). We firmly believe you will want to learn as much as you can prenatally to prevent problems from occurring once baby is here. Lisa focuses on prevention of breastfeeding problems so you and baby can get off to the best start possible. She will cover all the essentials of getting a good latch, pumping and storing milk, boosting your milk supply, and baby wearing. Breastfeeding challenges are particularly stressful on a new family so we hope you can take the time to learn more about the art and science of breastfeeding. Lisa not only offers this fabulous workshop for you before baby, but also offers private one-on-one breastfeeding support in your home. For less than the price of a massage, you can have Lisa come to your home and increase your success at breastfeeding – it is FAR more affordable than having to supplement or switch to formula! Keep her in mind as you go forward in your pregnancy and early days of parenting.

Our expert in the field of safety for the family is Brent Grein from First Aid Force.  Together we offer CPR Training for new and expectant parents as well as anyone else looking to learn these lifesaving skills.  What else can I say other than this is an essential course for all Canadians, but especially parents of young children. Brent runs an excellent and engaging program for an unbeatable price; this is a Red Cross Level C CPR certification in which you will cover infant, child, and adult CPR, choking, and defibrillation. There is a huge hands-on component and you will definitely leave with a lot more confidence that you will know what to do in an emergency situation. You will certainly gain peace of mind with these skills under your belt and a family to care for! Belly Buttons is thrilled to have Brent on board to get as many of you trained in CPR as possible.

Trish Unger, the owner of Belly Buttons, has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Waterloo, is a Certified Childbirth Educator, a Personal Trainer Specialist, and a Registered Holistic Nutritionist. She has also enjoyed many years as a birth doula and infant massage instructor. With her many years of education and experience she helps families in our community have a fabulous birth and the happiest and healthiest family possible. You will be glad you joined the Belly Buttons family.  We can’t wait to meet you!