New Mom School Encinitas: Supporting North County’s Newest Mamas

 

I sat down with Shir Barton from New Mom School Encinitas. and let me say that ‘impressed’ doesn’t even cover it. With coffees in hand we chatted about everything from her personal experience with New Mom School to how she decided to open her own franchise location and what she loves about what New Mom School offers to the community. Let’s get into it!

 

New Mom School Encinitas Fills a Huge Need in the Community

With the grand opening of New Mom School Encinitas right around the corner, things are looking ready to welcome the over 100 new moms who have already registered for the upcoming classes. With such a strong start, Shir and I talked at length about how the services they offer are so obviously needed. While a ‘tough it out’ mentality may have been the mantra of new moms in decades past, a renewed longing for community, connection and education is obvious by the overwhelmingly positive response to the opening. Shir’s passion for serving that community is evident in her decision to bring New Mom School to Encinitas.

She first attended the original New Mom School location in Newport Beach after the birth of her son. The community support and friendships she found there were invaluable as she began navigating motherhood. “You don’t know what you don’t know,” Shir said, reflecting on the lack of support available to many women, especially new moms. She described how isolating it can feel when social media paints the picture of everyone else thriving while you’re struggling. That’s why she was so thankful to attend New Mom School, which she shared was her lifeline during those early postpartum months. While people often say “cherish every moment,” Shir also shared that her postpartum journey was the hardest thing she’s ever experienced. With so many new moms facing similar challenges, it’s no surprise that New Mom School has gotten so much interest! 

 

 

Navigating the decision of when (or whether) to return to work or not, Shir knew she didn’t want to go back to the corporate world. She and her husband toyed with the idea of opening a business but nothing really ever felt right. That is until she got an email announcing the opportunity to franchise a New Mom School location and she said she knew immediately, “this is what I’m meant to do.” As with all big decisions, there was some soul searching to make absolutely sure that it was the right move but as soon as Shir got word that they may be someone else interested in a North County location, she was devastated that she might miss the opportunity and from that moment, everything was clear. Months and months of hard work later, Shir sits in the studio, sipping her vanilla latte, overjoyed and beyond excited for the location’s grand opening.

 

Classes offered at New Mom School Encinitas

Each series is 8 weeks of classes, meeting one day per week. Each class focuses on a specific topic and professionals from the community visit to present on their various areas of expertise. Moms get to meet specialists they might not have even known about that are tremendously helpful to their transition to motherhood. With a max of 14 moms, classes are kept small so that moms can get to know each other and instructors and experts can get to know the moms. 

Classes happen at the studio and moms sit in a circle so everyone can participate. Moms are encouraged that “everything happens in the circle.” Babies are changed, fed and otherwise tended to within the protection of the circle of moms. Shir recalled how her own experience in the circle led to many “hey, my baby makes that noise too!” moments. Getting to experience the same stages with other moms going through the same things helped her feel like she really wasn’t alone in this motherhood thing. 

 

There are four class types available at New Mom School: 

Newborn (First time Mom): 0-3 months – classes typically start when baby is 3-6 weeks. Classes are organized by birthdate so that moms can benefit from the most empathetic, understanding people possible: other moms going through the exact same thing. Topics covered include newborn sleep foundations, postpartum anxiety and worry, staying at home vs. going back to work, and the postpartum body to name a few. 

Shir commented how wonderful her own experience was having all the information brought to her while also offering a social outlet that is not always common among first time moms. Having a reason to leave the house and a safe community to participate in made all the difference to her early experience of motherhood.

Second time Mom: 0-3 months – Similar to the first time mom class’s focus on sleep and the postpartum body but with extra attention on the transition from one to two kiddos and navigating new dynamics.

Infant: 3-6 months – Geared toward baby’s development and transitions to things like eating solid foods, it’s all about helping mom find balance as baby grows.

Rising toddler: 6-12 months – Helping moms navigate the development of baby’s gross motor skills, eating and nutrition, and play-based learning are just a few of the discussion topics.

Expert Support at New Mom School Encinitas

One of the standout principles of the New Mom School classes is the incorporating of LOCAL experts who not only present information but can serve as vital resources if moms need additional help with a specific topic. From pelvic floor experts in the newborn class to a parenting coach for the second time moms, many moms find that the experts invited to class teach them things that they wouldn’t have even thought to ask. Each class has an accompanying handout given at the end which makes a great reference tool, especially if a mom had to miss a class for any reason. 

 

Community Breastfeeding support group

Not only is New Mom School Encinitas lucky to have an IN-HOUSE lactation consultant, they also offer a FREE Community Breastfeeding support group that meets weekly. This group is open to the whole community and not just New Mom School participants.

Signing up for New Mom School Encinitas

Because classes are based on a maximum of 14 moms, early registration is encouraged. Moms can register as early in their pregnancy as they’d like and once baby arrives, they’ll be placed into a Newborn class based on baby’s birth date. New Mom School registration is completely risk free…if you are unable to attend once baby arrives, a full refund is given as long as you notify them at least 5 days before your class start date.

As a newborn and family photographer I meet all kinds of moms. I see first, second, third and more time moms for their baby’s session. Watching each of them is awe inspiring to me! I can’t imagine a better resource and place for local community than New Mom School Encinitas. Shir’s dedication to creating a village to educate and support moms through the first year is a great addition to our community!

 

Visit the website to learn more and get registered for New Mom School…you won’t regret it!

Follow New Mom School Encinitas on Instagram!!!

 

If you liked this post, check out my last blog about this fun play space in Carlsbad! ⬇️