When I had my first child in 1996, I was a young, single mom. I knew nothing of the world I lived in, let alone what it took to be not just a mother, but a good parent. The internet was in its infancy, and community resources were found in yellow pages, colorful flyers stapled to telephone poles, or a brochure found between the seats of the bus. But none were helpful to this lost mama. I felt as though nobody understood my worry, and I was the most unprepared person on Earth to have a child.
And, yet, here I am today in 2017, with a 21 year old (and a 13 year old, and a 10 year old). I see the new generation of children being born into this millennial age, and I am so honored that I am a part of Pittsburgh Moms Blog, and the City Moms Blog Network’s Annual Bloom Expo. We are welcoming Women entering the role of Motherhood, and offering resources to Moms (and Dads) to be the best parent they can be from the very start.
Last Saturday, Pittsburgh Moms Blog held its First Annual Bloom at Allegheny Health Network, Wexford Health + Wellness Pavilion. The Pittsburgh Moms Blog team, along with many community leaders, several local businesses, and passionate medical professionals filled the Pavilion for a joy-filled celebration of all things motherhood at Bloom Pittsburgh 2017!
We sipped coffee and treated ourselves with donuts from Dunkin’ Donuts, enjoyed delicious cheese and healthy vegetables from Whole Foods Market, and devoured delicious cookies and fruit from Chick-fil-A.
When new and expectant moms arrived at the event, they were able to shop and visit with our all amazing table sponsors and medical professionals. We had everything from photographers to travel agencies to early intervention providers to local children’s authors to chair and table massages to baby clothing to pediatric services to breastfeeding support on hand for the moms who attended.
On top of all that goodness, moms had fun putting raffle tickets in the prize of their choice for a chance to win more than $2500 in giveaways!
After eating, getting pampered, and visiting with our amazing table sponsors, Pittsburgh-area moms gathered in the Pavilion’s meeting space to listen to our question and answer session with our panel of experts.
A huge thank you to all five incredible panelists for sharing their expertise and experience with our moms. Their wisdom, advice, and encouragement were truly appreciated by the 100+ moms in attendance at our first annual Bloom Pittsburgh event. Thank you for giving up your Saturday afternoon to spend time discussing topics like pregnancy, chiropractic, dentistry, pediatrics, feeding, parenting, and birthing choices.
Professional event coverage was provided by Carrie Farmerie of Three One Photography.
Tricia Nicolas of Viva Portraits shot the bump station and stills in front of our Pittsburgh Moms Blog backdrop:
For more photos in front of this backdrop, please see our Facebook page album.
While Bloom originally started out as a comprehensive resource for new and expectant moms, this show grew to include local businesses, resources and prizes that all families and mothers need from all over the various Pittsburgh neighborhoods. Even though some moms in attendance were expecting their second, third, fourth, or fifth child, we heard mothers say, “wow, I never knew that existed in Pittsburgh.”
It was a beautiful day. THANK YOU to everyone who participated! For more event photos, please see our Facebook page albums. For a full listing of sponsors and speakers, see here.
— Pittsburgh Moms Blog, with Introduction by PMB contributing writer and editor, Carri Finkbeiner
