Yes. You belong here! San Diego Mommy and Me groups were established to provide moms with support, education, and community in a judgment-free, all-inclusive group environment. At SDMM, we know (and teach) that there is no right way to mom. As a result, we are here to help you confidently embrace your version of motherhood and to make sure you never have to mom alone. Whether you choose breast or bottle, crib or co-sleep, organic or Kraft mac ‘n’ cheese we are your people.
At San Diego Mommy and Me, the babies are center stage, as they love to be. In group, your little is engrossed in watching you, studying new faces, meeting new friends, practicing new skills, engaging in play, and/or taking a snooze. In short, at this age, they assume everything we do is about them so we might as well make the actual experience about us! Moreover, studies show that mom friendships are good for baby’s brain (i.e. the healthier and more supported mom is, the healthier and happy baby is). Bonus: friendships made in the group, turn into play dates outside of the group!
For one reason or another, it’s super common for a Mama to have to miss a class or two. Luckily, beyond being bummed that they had to miss, they have expressed it doesn’t affect the overall impact or experience for them. Also, because there is always so much to talk about in group, and paying close attention with a room full of babies isn’t always easy, every week you’ll receive a follow-up email that’ll help keep you in the loop.
One of the unique features of Milestones’ groups is that they are conducted as an 8-week group series. This format allows moms to develop close, authentic connections that really add to the overarching purpose of the group, in that the friendships + support continues long after the group ends. Therefore, to protect this aspect, the group is only sold as a package deal. Thus, allowing us to avoid the need to fill up spots throughout the series.
That being said, for one reason or another, it’s super common for a Mama to have to miss a class or two. Luckily, beyond being bummed that they had to miss, they have expressed it doesn’t affect the overall impact or experience for them 🙂
Each group has a mix of babies from 0-12 months (although they are mostly on the younger side). We offer support throughout the first year because we understand not every mom will find us, or be ready to commit to a group, immediately following baby’s arrival. Also, we have found the age variety of the babies provides the group with a richer, more meaningful conversation. Our age gap means that, while everyone is in the same phase of life, everyone isn’t literally struggling with the exact same issue; and therefore, there is more support and help available.
Most importantly, we spend the majority of our time talking about universal themes in motherhood (i.e. relationship changes, work/life balance, expectations, the comparison trap, etc.) that all moms are working through which isn’t related to babies’ age.
We do not currently offer evening, weekend, or toddler groups. We hope to in the future.
For ease and security, my registration process is hosted through my website. Click any Register now button to be taken to the group schedule page. Select the group of your choice and complete the following registration and payment form. Your payment will be securely processed through the E-commerce/Stripe extension on my website.
Expecting? Want to be notified about future group series?
CLICK HERE to be notified about the upcoming group series of your choice!
Honestly, the best time to sign up is as soon as you are ready! The majority of moms begin group when their babies are 1-4 months, and those mamas regularly express being so happy that they were able to start off their motherhood journey with the group. However, some moms aren’t ready to join the group until well into the first year. These mamas express experiencing the same great benefits while being able to join at a time to fit their needs.
We cap the group at 12 months because toddlers quickly grow bored of our mom-centered formate.
Topic-wise: The age variety of the babies contributes to richer, more meaningful conversations. Our baby “age gap” ensures that, while every mom is in the same stage of life, everyone isn’t literally struggling with the exact same issue. This allows participants to share and receive more support, insight, and reassurance from one another. Most importantly, group topics center around the motherhood experience. These universal themes (i.e. expectations, emotions, relationship changes, work/life balance, etc.) resonate with all postpartum moms.
Baby-wise: In group, your little is engrossed in watching you, studying new faces, meeting new friends, practicing new skills, engaging in play, and/or taking a snooze. In short, at this age (0-12 mos), infants are easy to stimulate because everything is new and developmentally they assume everything we do is about and for them. This is why we might as well make the actual experience about us!
Fair warning, moms of busy movers won’t get to sit back and relax as much as others.
Postpartum Anxiety or Depression: If you feel you may be experiencing mild to moderate postpartum anxiety or depression, or you are at high risk of developing it, I recommend you start the group as early as possible. Peer support and psychoeducation are two key factors to reducing and preventing these experiences. To get the most out of the group, medication and personalized support for severe symptoms may be beneficial prior to starting the group.
Each group is held by Renata Cameron, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, creator + founder of Milestones; and mom of two. You can learn more about her on our about page.
We work from the belief that there no right way to mom. What works for one, doesn’t always work for another, and what worked for one phase; doesn’t always work for the next. We believe in the importance of being a supportive and nurturing parent, but we know this can look very different from one family to the next and that there are a million ways to achieve this. We’d love you to look at our Core Beliefs to get a better understanding of what we are all about.
Of Course! New babies bring new transitions and a world of other newness with them. Second (+) times moms have expressed great benefits and satisfaction in our groups, often wishing they had had the chance to join with their first. Additionally, second(+) moms are a treasured resource to our first time moms and a great support to other second (+) times moms.
Congratulations on welcoming another child into your family! We are excited to welcome the valuable perspective of a seasoned mama. Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate older siblings at this time, so we ask that you think of this time as special bonding opportunity for you and your new little. Thank you for your understanding.
Of course! Please just let us know ahead of time what, if any, special needs you may have and we will look into helping you address them. We do understand that having multiple babies will present challenges and topics that many singleton parents do not face. If there are enough multiple moms interested, we will attempt to re-organize the groups accordingly as to ensure your direct access to other multiple mamas.
Honestly, this is one of our favorite questions. We would LOVE to accommodate dads and to host a dad’s or co-ed group should we have the interest from the community. Please contact us to let us know you are interested so we can begin gathering participants and bring this group to life.
Unfortunately, current groups are exclusively for moms. While we feel dad’s would have a very valuable perspective to bring to the group, we understand new moms are experiencing many things they may feel uncomfortable with sharing in front of a co-ed group. For this reason, current groups are limited to women only.
Our address is 3355 4th Ave. San Diego, CA 92103
Milestones’ groups are currently being held at the Future Generations’ office in Banker’s Hill. Future Generations is primarily a family chiropractic clinic that shares their space with family, health, and postpartum businesses/ services. You can learn more about them by visiting their site: http://www.futuregenerationssd.com/
Many littles begin prior to their first immunizations. With this in mind, we make sure our space is conducive to new babies and an excellent way to get out of the house very early on without being concerned. Our set-up is only used for our mommy and me classes and kept extremely clean with very limited exposure to anything. Babies are mostly held by mom, sleeping in their car seats or lying on your own blanket in front of you resulting in limited to no contact with one another. The amount of physical contact had is completely dependent on your comfort zone.
As an additional safeguard, we request all participants follow a “no sick” policy. If you are unable to attend a class due to illness, we will make sure to keep you in the loop with our follow up emails!
Lastly, we ask that all adults (and any babies over 12 months) have received the MMR vaccination. This is an important vaccination that helps protect our little ones from diseases; such as, Measles, Mumps, and Rubella.
If you are able to give us at least a 10-days prior notice it would be extremely helpful so we can offer the space to another mom. However, we get that things sometimes happen at the last minute. We will do our best to work with you. We are here to make your lives easier!