Services
Queer Parents’ Circle
Email me (emmelinetylerpostpartum at gmail dot com) to register your interest in the program or find out more, or come and see me at my weekly drop-in service (see details below).
Are you living in inner-west Melbourne and seeking to make deep connections with like-minded local parents? Queer Parents Circle can support you to make new friends and discuss topics relevant to early parenthood in a non-judgmental, inclusive space.
Being a parent is a life-changing experience. We can thrive through this massive identity shift and the ongoing challenges if we have the love and supportive community that we need and deserve.
Queer Parents' Circle is suitable for...
- Queer, trans and gender non-conforming parents and allies
- Neurodivergent and/or disabled parents and allies
- Primary caregiver parents AND non-primary caregiver parents
- Parents who are up to seven years postpartum
- Parents-to-be, including people who are trying to conceive, pregnant people and intended parents
Queer Parents' Circle is not suitable for...
- Parents looking for surface-level chit-chat or gossipy conversations
- Parents who are not vaccinated or whose children are not vaccinated
- Parents who are prejudiced against marginalised groups, including people who support "gender critical" ideology
- Parents who want to "just ask questions" about others' identity/s or lived experiences
Topics covered include:
- Sleep — for little ones and for parents
- Birth — sharing and listening to experiences in a supportive space
- Infant feeding — sharing and listening to experiences and challenges
- Relationship challenges – issues that come up through the transition to parenthood, such as identity shifts, managing money and sharing the domestic load
- Emotions – holding space for our big feelings such as rage, grief, fear and elation
Parents' Circle is a six-session weekly course, with the intention of building trust among the same group of people. Sessions go for two hours, with snacks included.
Feel free to bring your baby/ies if they are six months or younger, or come alone if your prefer. Please find childcare for babies/children older than six months.
It is run as hybrid in-person/online event so that if you or your children are sick or can’t risk infection you don’t have to miss out.
Price:
$180 – standard price (covers six sessions)
$150 – for concession or if you are a First Nations person
$210 – solidarity price – if you have capacity and desire to contribute to discounted tickets
Where and when:
Spotswood Community House, 598 Melbourne Road, Spotswood VIC.
This program will be running in February/March 2025, dates TBC.
Email me (emmelinetylerpostpartum at gmail dot com) to register your interest in the program or find out more, or come and see me at my weekly drop-in service (details below).
Free Drop-in Service
If you are looking for support for any concerns regarding your postpartum and parenting experience, you might be interested in my weekly free drop-in service.
I will not tell you what to do or give you advice and that is a guarantee!
What I will do is…
- Help you clarify your challenges
- Explore possible options
- Research evidence-based information together
- Support you to seek external support services if needed
Where and when:
Where: Yarraville Library, 32 Wembley Avenue Yarraville (in the backyard unless it is raining)
When: Every Thursday 11:30am-12pm (except for during school holidays)
Ceremonies
Rituals and ceremonies help us to transition through life stages and connect more deeply with people close to us as we do so.
Parent’s Blessing/Mother’s Blessing
It is never too early or too late to gather up the people who love you the most and let them surround you with love.
Blessings are suitable for...
- Pregnant people
- People who are trying to conceive, or planning to conceive
- Postpartum people (remembering that postpartum is forever!)
I provide once-off ceremonies for the above scenarios.
I also provide a two-part ceremony in which the same group of people gather to bless you before your baby is born and sometime after the birth as you contemplate re-entry into the world. The purpose of this is to encircle you in love for the perinatal period.
Other once-off ceremonies include…
- Grieving (still-birth or infant death). The perinatal period is not always a joyous occasion. Parents experiencing grief deserves acknowledgment and they need care and support.
- Abortion. Whatever the circumstances around procuring an abortion and whatever mix of feelings someone has around this experience, they can benefit from sharing this transition with people who love and care for them.
- Weaning. However long a parent bodyfeeds/breastfeeds for, and whatever the circumstances surrounding the end of this time, this can be a difficult transition.
- Finishing the family. For some people, deciding to stop having children is a huge decision. For others, the decision is forced on them. Either way, leaving behind the baby stage forever is a life transition that usually comes with big feelings.
- Divorce/separation. Many parents experience a relationship breakdown in early parenthood. A ceremony can help a parent to begin to process their emotions in a loving environment and galvanise their inner support team for the road ahead.
Note: In my ceremonies, I steer clear of any cultural appropriation. As creative humans, we can make meaningful rituals from our own lived experiences and our own cultures.
This is not an exhaustive list. If there is any other life event that you want to bring intention and community to, please email me (emmelinetylerpostpartum at gmail dot com) to discuss this.
If you are interested in having me facilitate any of these ceremonies for yourself or for someone in your life, or if you have any further questions, please email me (emmelinetylerpostpartum at gmail dot com).