Happy families: Millers Grange opens doors to bumps and babies

Home news

Aug 30, 2019

Millers Grange is opening its doors to new and expectant mothers, as it becomes the only care home in the area to host mum-and-baby community classes.

The home has teamed up with a local organisation to host a parenting drop-in coffee group, as well as a baby massage course, helping to embed the recently-launched care home into the community.

The care home has forged a relationship with Birth Baby Balance - a mum-and-baby enterprise that provides guidance, support and information through pregnancy, childbirth and early parenthood. This will enable the West Oxfordshire business to utilise the bright and airy spaces within the newly-opened care home for two of its weekly classes.  

From Monday 9th September, the residents at Millers Grange will welcome new and expectant mothers to a weekly ‘Bumps and Babes’ group, which gives pregnant women, and those with babies up to a year old, the chance to chat about parenthood and trade hints and tips in a welcoming drop-in session.

In addition, from Thursday 12th September, Birth Baby Balance will be launching its latest Witney-based baby massage course at Millers Grange, which teaches parents, grandparents and care-givers how to connect and interact with babies through a range of massage techniques.      

This course is particularly suitable for babies aged from eight weeks to six months, when it is easier to learn to massage a baby before they are on the move. 

With free parking, plenty of space for grown-ups and babies to socialise, and refreshments to enjoy, Millers Grange is well-placed to provide those attending Birth Baby Balance sessions with a safe and comfortable environment for their activities. 

Millers Grange home manager, Steve Reader, said: “Since we opened the doors to Millers Grange a few months ago, we have had such a positive response from those living locally, and now that we have teamed up with Birth Baby Balance, we can offer our warmth and support to those caring for the very latest arrivals within our community.  

“Whilst residents will not be involved in the sessions, they will be sharing their home with parents and babies on a regular basis, and we are always looking for innovative ways to encourage residents to strike up new friendships. 

“Hosting parent-and-baby sessions offers a great opportunity to create special bonds across the generations – young and older people alike really benefit from the social interaction – and many residents will have a wealth of experience they may wish to share with new and expectant parents.  We can’t wait to see the wide range of ages getting to know each other at Millers Grange!”

Kirsten Hanlon, postnatal leader at Birth Baby Balance, adds: “We are delighted that Millers Grange is making its bright, new space as warm and welcoming as possible for us, as well as Witney’s new and impending arrivals. 

“Parenting is a wonderful experience, but for some new parents, it can also be intimidating. Providing a safe, private and comfortable space for new mums and dads to talk is incredibly important for mental wellbeing. Millers Grange offers such a lovely space, we know our class members are going to feel right at home.”