 | | The AMH Story As told by Laine Podell-Camino, Founder
I started A Mother's Haven as a result of my own needs as an expectant and new parent. I was going to one place for maternity clothes, another for prenatal classes, another for a yoga class, and yet another place over 20 miles away for products and clothes to help me breastfeed easily and successfully. And this was all before my son was even born! While pregnant, I kept thinking there really should be one place for all these services and items locally in the San Fernando Valley. Also, since our prenatal classes had been cold, anonymous, and quite large (one didn't even have enough practice dolls!), I wanted to create a supportive, warm environment where new parents could learn the skills they need as they enter parenthood in a small and friendly setting.
I wanted to create a community of parents for parents where any question is welcomed and personal parental choices are supported. I wanted a place where parents are educated about different parenting theories and philosophies in order to learn to experiment and see what works for them and their child. I didn't want a place where parents are told there is "one right way" to parent. Even with my Masters Degree in Early Childhood Development and 10 years working with babies, I was an anxious, paranoid, and nervous new parent! I wanted someone to give me suggestions about how and what to do. After reading books that made me more paranoid and getting advice that didn't feel right to me, I gradually began to trust my instincts and came to realize that maybe I actually knew what my baby needed better than a book or the most recent baby-guru. I believe that given the information, tools, and support to trust themselves, parents find their confidence and their right way to parent their baby.
After the birth of my son Zachary, I had a lot of breastfeeding challenges. I was ready to give up when I randomly met another relatively new mom in the grocery store parking lot who referred me to an amazing Lactation Consultant. She took the time to really listen, showed me what we were each doing improperly, and let me practice my newly learned skills before leaving her office. She was calming, not an alarmist. She made me feel confident and after a few more weeks of struggle, Zachary and I got the hang of breastfeeding and continued to enjoy it until he self-weaned. I was inspired and encouraged by her to help other new mothers and so became a Certified Lactation Educator.
With my background in Early Childhood Deaf Education and being that my second language is American Sign Language, I started using it with my son when he was 6 months old. Moms in my playgroups and classes started asking me about it and as a result, I started teaching classes in July 2001. I also become a Certified Instructor of Infant Massage and started teaching Infant Massage and Touch Communication classes earlier that summer as well. Later that year, I moved my classes to a dance studio, where Terry and I started a Saturday breastfeeding support group for working mothers. At this time, I was also selling bras and renting pumps from my living room as there were no places in the the Valley to find these things.
Finally, I decided it was time to open a store. In July 2002, I rented a space and began the remodel. By September 2002, I opened the classroom space with Kindermusik, Prenatal, and Mommy & Baby Yoga classes. A Mother's Haven Boutique opened in late October 2002.
Today, A Mother's Haven Boutique & Educational Center is more than double its original size with five times the number of classes, as well as an Online Ecommerce Store that launched in Fall 2007. Our boutique boasts cute and fashionable Baby Clothing, trendy yet functional Diaper Bags for moms and dads, and the largest selection of Maternity/Nursing Bras in the San Fernando Valley. We have a a hand-selected assortment of must-have baby registry essentials. We also offer an amazing selection of unique baby shower gifts, wood and soft developmental toys that are sure to be played with for years, early childhood musical instruments, as well as an amazing selection of music for pregnancy, birth, calming crying babies, and children's music that parents actually enjoy listening to! We've done the research on all items pregnant and new parents need. The items we carry have been hand-picked for their helpfulness, versatility, safety, and sheer wonderfulness from the vast assortment of baby products on the market and have been field tested and received our parent community's stamp of approval. f
A Mother's Haven grew out of my own needs, the needs of my friends, and the needs of the other mothers in the area. Today we have created a Community of expectant, new, and experienced parents. We are serving thousands of new families around Southern California, with support, information, and products that help them to be the best parents they can be. Now we have grown to meet the needs of mothers and parents across the country, who don't have access to the fabulous products we offer or the support they need. We look forward to seeing you soon!
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