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ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Cara Hewitt moved to Alexandria's North Ridge neighborhood after seven years in Washington, had her daughter in 2022, and found herself isolated.
Friends back home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, were posting about a postpartum program they were attending together. Hewitt wanted the same thing here and couldn't find it.
Last summer, a neighbor down the street had her second baby a month after Hewitt had hers. The two spent their maternity leaves talking about the same gap.
"Everyone says it takes a village to raise children, but for many here there is no village, given how transient the area is, and many moms don't have family nearby," Hewitt said.
This month they started one. Mom League DC held its first Newborn Series in Old Town on Aug. 4, an eight-week program for about a dozen women with babies up to 12 weeks old, meeting weekly at barre3 at 715 Duke St.
The neighbor, Margaret Tucker Cardon, facilitates it. She is a licensed professional counselor with a perinatal mental health certificate and runs her own counseling practice. Hewitt leads Mom League DC alongside Katy Grady.
What the eight weeks cover
Sessions run 90 minutes and work through maternal mental health, changes in relationships and returning to work, with local specialists brought in on specific subjects.
The August series featured Rachel Payne, a doctor of physical therapy who owns District Pelvic Health, on pelvic floor recovery; Nimi Patel, a doctor of physical therapy who owns Mini Petals Pediatric Therapy, on infant development; and Susan Howard, a registered nurse and lactation consultant who owns Arlington Lactation, on feeding.
Groups move through the series together so mothers and babies stay at roughly the same stage. The last class includes a photography session with each mother and baby.
The series is open to any mother, not only first-time parents. Two-mom families are welcome.
What it costs, and when the next one runs
A Newborn Series costs $375, or about $47 per session. Mom League offers need-based scholarships through an application on its website. The company is a limited liability company that also sells franchises.
Mom League DC alternates its series between Alexandria and Tysons, so Alexandria groups run roughly every other month rather than monthly.
The next Alexandria series begins Tuesday, Oct. 6, running Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. through Nov. 24. A December series starts Dec. 8 on the same schedule, running into late January. Both were listed as available as of this week.
The September series, which is sold out with a waitlist, is at Be Hive Wellness in Tysons.
Mom League recommends registering during pregnancy, ideally in the second trimester, and choosing the series that begins after the due date. Expectant mothers whose dates aren't yet posted can ask to be notified when a series opens.
How it got here
Mom League was founded four years ago in Winston-Salem and has since expanded to other cities. Hewitt led its expansion into the Washington area, telling DC News Now this month that she decided to bring it here after her own postpartum experience.
The Tysons location, facilitated by counselor Megan MacCutcheon at Be Hive Wellness, begins its first series in September. The company says more locations across the region are planned for 2027.
Registration and scholarship applications are at mymomleague.com. Questions go to dc@mymomleague.com, and the local group posts on Instagram at @MomLeague_DC.
Postpartum Support International operates a free helpline at 1-800-944-4773, answered in English and Spanish. Anyone in crisis can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
