It Takes a Village provides support, resources for new, expectant moms

The village mentality means people work together to raise children, and share knowledge and traditional practices. A group in Cape Girardeau is working to bring it back.

It Takes a Village, a not-for-profit group based in Cape Girardeau, is aimed at providing support and services for new and expectant mothers and families, said group president Amanda Rhodes.

Initially, in summer 2019, Rhodes said, the idea was to start a breastfeeding support group, and that evolved into a weekly hangout for moms -- a group that provides emotional support and guards against the isolation so many new mothers feel.

From there, she said, several women have become interested in earning certification to become doulas, or a person trained to guide and support the mother through the birth process.

"Birth used to happen at home, surrounded by your mother, your sister, your cousin, your aunt -- all of the women in your family were there to support you," Rhodes said. "And as medicine became more modernized, hospital-centered, there is just not room in the hospital for all of these people. So you tend to lose the support of that community and the wisdom that all of those women had, because of their experience with their own children and with their cousins, sisters, and so on."

Lily Sutton, 2, of Benton, Missouri (right in dress), and Henley Dollar, 2, of Cape Girardeau, play with Sutton's mother Emily Sutton of Benton during a "Mornings with Moms" event, held through a local It Takes a Village group, Friday, Jan. 24, at STA in Cape Girardeau. Breeanna Pearl of Dongola, Illinois, said she runs social media for the It Takes a Village group, said the group meets every Friday. "You can stay for two hours, you can stay for five minutes," Pearl said. "We just talk about anything and everything that you want to talk about. Whether it be like if someone needs help like breast feeding or if you just want to talk about your everyday life, you know, like struggles at work or whatever you want to talk about."Jacob Wiegand

The doula's role is to help reintroduce that community and wisdom.

Helping a woman's body prepare for birth is an endeavor on its own, said Elyssa Glaus, vice president of It Takes a Village.

"The nonprofit gives the group a vehicle to help people," Glaus said.

The group's website, ittakesavillagesemo.com, includes a Resources page to help people connect with information and people they need.

The doulas are only one aspect of It Takes a Village. Breastfeeding support is especially important.

"A lot of women need breastfeeding help, and there's not a lot of accurate information available," Rhodes said. "We're seeing, especially here, that a lot of people have questions."

Sarah Kilpela, It Takes a Village secretary, owns eDen Spa & Salon at 151 S. Spanish St. in Cape Girardeau and is mother to four children. She said she had difficulty breastfeeding her third child, and was frustrated by a lack of helpful information.

Instead of relying solely on formula for the baby, which she said is a valid choice but not the one she wanted to make, she connected with Rhodes through eDen, and found out that there are several reasons a baby might not be able to breastfeed successfully -- and she was able to solve the issues she was facing.

And Kilpela had consulted an expert, but was given bad advice, Rhodes said.

La Leche League is a breastfeeding support organization with several chapters in the United States, but the nearest one is in St. Louis, said vice president Elyssa Glaus.

"It's doable, but not really feasible," Glaus said -- between the driving distance, taking children along or finding someone to watch them, for two hours' drive to the meeting, the meeting, and two hours back, it's a tough commitment to make.

It Takes a Village hopes to bridge some of the gap they see in Southeast Missouri, Rhodes said.

"We want to help on the various subjects families need help with, including breastfeeding," Rhodes said. "There's so much more, but that's where we started."

Rhodes said for herself, one of her main goals with the not-for-profit was distributing all of the information on all birth-related subjects, so that people know what their choices are.

"You might think you're making a choice. But if I say, 'Hey, would you like option A?' but I don't give you any other options, you're going to take option A, without knowing about B, C, or D. If you still choose A, that's great. It was your choice. But if you don't know that there are other options, you can't actually make an informed choice," Rhodes said.

"Having the knowledge helped me make good decisions (with my own child's birth), and the hospital helped me determine what was and wasn't an emergency," Glaus said. "It's really easy to get what we need to be able to see the whole picture."

As far as outreach, Glaus said, "we are having weekly meetings, which help build and strengthen connections."

Also, on the first Friday of each month, a special session will involve a workshop or demonstration.

A past topic was baby-led weaning with Ellen Gipson.

From 9 to 11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 7, at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 318 S. Spanish St. in Cape Girardeau, SEMO Babywearing group members will demonstrate different baby carriers, Rhodes said.

"Every month we'll do a different subject for that first Friday, based on what is most crucial with people right now," Rhodes said. "What are moms needing help with? We can build a schedule based on that. Everyone is welcome!"