22 | MAY 20 • 2021
continued from page 20
are moving forward and even
increasing what we are doing.
”
Jbaby’s five-part prenatal pro-
gram switched immediately to
virtual in April 2020. “We had
10 couples, and everyone was
very happy to do it this way,
”
Erez says. “It’s not exactly the
same as being in per-
son, but it still provided
families with the sup-
port they were counting
on.
”
Margot Peck, a local
mom-to-be, had a lot
of questions and some
concerns about being
pregnant, particularly
during a pandemic.
“It was so nice being
able to connect with
other parents-to-be
over Zoom during the
Jbaby prenatal course,
”
Peck says. “Even if we weren’t
physically together, there was a
definite sense of camaraderie. It
was so nice to be in a safe space
where we could ask questions
and be vulnerable with one
another.
”
New mom Sara Craig agrees,
“If it weren’t for taking the Jbaby
prenatal class, I would have felt
even more alone during this
crazy time. My husband and I
developed lifelong friendships
— I feel so lucky to have formed
such close bonds with other
moms in the same place as I am.
It’s hard enough to have a baby,
but then layering on a pandemic
is insane. If it weren’t for these
friendships, I’
d feel so lost.
“Even virtually, we’re celebrat-
ing our friends’ milestones as
they celebrate ours,
” Craig says.
“This wasn’t the year any of us
expected, especially being first-
time parents. But the memories
we have will absolutely last a
lifetime.
”
Jbaby also offered much-need-
ed respites for parents running
out of ideas for entertaining
their kids during quarantine.
“It’s been a great resource of
programming in a safe way for
my toddler during the pandem-
ic,
” Jennie Maxbauer says. “We
have loved celebrating Jewish
holidays with Rhythm & Ruach
and having the Noon Year’s Eve
party with so many friends.
”
Like the families they serve,
Jbaby has also been growing,
adding new classes, groups and
programs. Infant CPR and car
seat safety workshops have been
introduced. Monthly conversa-
tions with experts will launch in
June.
And this winter, Jbaby offered
new panels on pregnancy loss
and infertility, in partnership
with Federation’s NEXTGen.
“Parents get into a Jbaby class,
and moms will say, ‘It took us six
years to get pregnant,
’ or ‘We did
five egg retrievals’ [for in-vitro
fertilization]. It would have been
so nice for them to have Jewish
support,
” Erez says. “There’s
nothing really like this in the
Jewish community, and there’s
a need.
”
EXTENDED CLASSES
In March, Jbaby launched a
weekly virtual New Moms’
Postpartum Group, providing
a continued connection for
women who’ve finished the
prenatal class but are not due
for a few months. Although the
group has been offered before,
it will now follow a new model
of being facilitated by Jbaby
ambassadors Rachael Gerstein
and Erica Wedes, Jbaby alums
who have been trained by Jewish
Family Service. Beyond connect-
ing families and communities,
they work with Erez to come
up with new ideas to serve their
families — including
moms on bedrest, moms
in the hospital and babies
in the NICU.
“We work against the
idea that you only get
to feel good about your
pregnancy and baby
if everything goes as
planned,
” Erez says. “We
want to be there for all of
our families, no matter
the situation.
”
Mikki Frank, senior
director of Jfamily Detroit,
said “the strength of our
Jbaby program comes from the
families it serves.
“We couldn’t do this incredi-
ble work without the help of our
amazing lay leaders and donors:
Adam and Hannah Kessler,
Jeff Johnson and Erica Wedes-
Johnson, and Elliot and Lacey
Foon.
”
Frank knows that having your
first child is both “a beautiful
and challenging time” and a sup-
portive community is critical.
“The Jbaby community provides
that meaningful support, con-
nection and education.
”
This story first appeared on
myjewishdetroit.org.
Monique and Justin Jacobs with son, Jack,
,play at a sensory table at a Jbaby Detroit
Havdalah Hangout with NEXTGen Detroit.
The Winter 2019 Jbaby Prenatal Cohort is pictured
together at Temple Israel following a New Mom’s Meeting.
OUR COMMUNITY