Those who are pregnant or postpartum will soon have a new resource for support.
The Wild Roots Birth Collective is hosting an open house from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on May 9 at its new gathering space, The Motherhood Lounge, located at 1164A E. Gannon Drive in Festus. Light refreshments will be served. The event is open to the public, and no RSVPs are required.
Sarah Zepeda, 34, of Crystal City, is a doula and birth photographer with Wild Roots. She said the open house will be a relaxed event for attendees to meet the team of doulas, tour the space and ask questions.
“Anyone in the community can come meet the team and learn what a birth doula and a postpartum doula are and what they do,” Zepeda said. “The whole team is going to be there.”
Zepeda said Wild Roots has four birth doulas, four postpartum doulas, an international board-certified lactation consultant, two lactation peer counselors and two birth photographers.
Zepeda said those who bring a donation of diapers, wipes or formula will receive a ticket for the “baby shower” raffle basket, which will include items such as a diaper bag, a certificate for free postpartum hours, a photography gift certificate for a newborn or maternity session, a candle and various self-care items.
Zepeda said many people aren’t familiar with doulas and what function they perform. She said pregnant women and families benefit from doula services because they work with the family from pregnancy through postpartum.
“We work with people prenatally, talking about nutrition and what to expect leading up to their labor, different comfort measures they can take, different things they can do leading up to labor to prepare their body for it,” Zepeda said. “We attend the birth with them to offer emotional and physical support, not just to the laboring mom, but to the partner or whoever’s going to be in the room with them as well. There’s a reassurance that we understand what’s going on, and we’re able to set the tone for the whole labor to help everybody understand what’s going on and that these things are normal, especially for someone who’s never had a baby before or seen a woman in labor.”
Zepeda said not just first-time moms can benefit from a doula.
“Everyone having a baby could benefit from a doula, whether it’s their first baby or their fifth baby, because every pregnancy is different. Every journey that you take, each baby you have, is going to be different, and having that grounded support in the birth space has been proven to improve outcomes and reduce the C-section rates.”
Zepeda said the Motherhood Lounge will offer pregnancy, childbirth and newborn education classes, partner support and comfort measures classes, breastfeeding classes and lactation support, babywearing support, a birth photography studio and a community resource cabinet filled with free diapers, wipes, formula, maternity clothing and baby clothing for families in need.
Zepeda said the lounge also has a play area for children, a coffee bar and a large seating area where mothers can spend time together for mom groups and gatherings for peer-to-peer support.
“We’re going to try to do weekly and monthly meetups for new moms just to get out and get that village, that community,” Zepeda said. “When we do our meetups, that’s for all moms looking for support, looking to get questions answered, wanting to feel less alone and maybe making other mom friends, because it’s really important after you have a baby to not feel so isolated. It can help reduce those risks of postpartum depression and anxiety and things like that.”
Zepeda said the mom groups are meant for any moms, from pregnancy all the way through the toddler years.
Zepeda said the Motherhood Lounge is around 800 square feet and required some minor renovations, such as painting, sanding and refinishing the floors, installing new bathroom fixtures and upgrading lighting.
“We’ve done a lot of work in the space to try and make it a more family-friendly environment, to make it a nice peaceful place to come and hang out,” she said.
Zepeda said Wild Roots Birth Collective was founded in 2025 by Jacquelyne Livengood, who is a certified birth and postpartum doula. Livengood leads the collective and mentors its doulas. Wild Roots provides birth and postpartum support to Jefferson, St. Francois, Madison, Washington and Franklin counties and the greater St. Louis area.
Zepeda said Wild Roots will also be offering training for those who wish to become doulas.
For more information about Wild Roots Birth Collective, follow its Facebook page or visit wildrootsbirthcollective.com.