22 | MAY 20 • 2021 

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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