An Empowered Pregnancy
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Prenatal + postnatal nutrition
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In-depth childbirth education
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Herbal remedies + lifestyle medicine
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Embodiment and visualization exercises
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A supportive community of pregnant people
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Experts to co-create a space for learning and growth
The Pregnancy Pod is an immersive, four-trimester, live group program designed for an empowered pregnancy journey.
Limited to 12 participants, this intimate experience provides everything you need to know for nourishing your body and growing baby, preparing for labor, and optimizing postpartum healing.
Through these 16 interactive, 90-minute sessions, you'll learn, share, and grow along with others at the same stage of pregnancy.
Equal parts education, community, and personal exploration, we developed the program we believe every birthing person deserves.
Nutrition, Herbal Remedies
& Everyday Rituals
Facilitated by holistic nutritionist, chef, and momma Carly Wertheim MS, these sessions are nutrition education with a culinary twist. They're equal parts nutrition science and kitchen wisdom, with an emphasis on intuitive eating, natural remedies, and cultivating body awareness.
Childbirth Education
Taught by doula Melissa Tarras, these immersive, experiential classes take the unknown out of childbirth and leave you knowing what to expect. We cover everything from anatomy and contractions to pain management and comfort techniques.
Postpartum Support
Join your cohort and Pod facillitators for two postpartum sessions to share birth stories, have your questions answered, and find community and support during this exciting and challenging new time.
We know, it's not traditional to start a pregnancy program before 12 weeks...
Maybe you haven't even told your closest friends yet. While we completely respect what ever decision you've made about sharing the news with others, nutrition during your first trimester is vital. There are key nutrients you need to be getting for your baby's development and foods that may help prevent defects during this growth stage.
We want to be sure this essential information is in your hands. That's why you'll receive recordings of the first two classes immediately when you sign up for the Pregnancy Pod. These classes will cover Nutrition for Pregnancy 101 and Food Strategies, Herbal Remedies, and Lifestyle Medicine for Pregnancy that will help you in your first trimester. When pod registration has closed, we'll begin live classes.
And because we know you can't control what happens in your pregnancy, we offer a 100% refund, no questions asked, anytime before registration closes.
For those desiring a group program and individualized
support,we developed the DELUXE package.
The Preg Pod DELUXE package is for those who want the group classes, community, AND additional support of one-on-one consultations. You’ll get general tips and guides throughout the program - and we’ll always answer your Q’s during groups - but you may need a personalized plan. With DELUXE, you'll receive coaching in a private setting and an individualized plan that takes into account your particular challenges and goals. We particularlly recommend this package for those with preexisting health challenges.
This package includes everything in The Preg Pod PLUS:
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One 30-minute personal introductory call with Carly before the Pod begins. An opportunity to get to know your individual goals, expected challenges, and desires for your pregnancy.
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Two 45-minute one-on-one nutrition coaching calls with Carly that can be used any time throughout the program. You get to set the agenda! We can troubleshoot challenges and individualize a plan based on your body’s needs.
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One 45-minute one-on-one support call with Melissa. You get to set the agenda! Receive customized guidance on finding a birth care provider, birth planning, support techniques, and more.
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A surprise care package of goodies, customized for you for your birth and postpartum period.
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Discounts on additional one-on-one sessions.
FAQs
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What does The Pregnancy Pod cost and what's included?What's the cost? Enrollment in the Pregnancy Pod is an investment of $1395 for the comprehensive program or $995 for the nutrition portion only. Four of twelve spaces are dedicated to individuals requesting a sliding-scale rate. Payment plans are available for all. Please email carly@monarchandmilkweed to ask about these option. What's Included? The Pregnancy Pod offers a combination of group sessions and one-on-one support. This includes FOURTEEN videos and group sessions include: - Two pre-recorded nutrition classes with Carly and resources for you to view whenever you enroll - Seven 90-minute live group nutrition workshops with Carly, including three hands-on culinary immersion workshops - 90-minute live group childbirth education workshops with Melissa (comprehensive program only) - Two 90-minute postpartum facilitated support group meetings - Recordings of guided meditations, visualizations, and embodiment exercises - Access to 100+ exclusive recipes - Access to group chat where you can ask questions between sessions - Discounts for other childbirth practitioners' offerings And FOUR one-on-one support calls: - One 30-minute personal introductory call with Carly before the Pod begins. An opportunity to get to know your individual goals, expected challenges, and desires for your pregnancy. - Two 45-minute one-on-one coaching calls with Carly that can be used anytime throughout the program. You get to set the agenda! We can troubleshoot challenges and individualize a plan based on your body’s needs. - One 45-minute one-on-one support call with Melissa. You get to set the agenda! Receive customized guidance on finding a birth care provider, birth planning, support techniques, and more. (comprehensive program only) - Discount on additional one-on-one sessions with Carly and Melissa. (The value of all these offerings is over $2500).
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When do I sign up?We are currently enrolling February, March, and April due dates. Enrollment for the Pregnancy Pod is on a rolling basis with live classes beginning September 13th. The earlier you sign up, the sooner you'll have access to our two pre-recorded classes: Nutrition for Pregnancy 101 and Food Strategies, Herbal Remedies, and Lifestyle Medicine Part 1. You can also schedule your welcome call and use your one-on-one sessions. These classes contain information to begin implementing as soon as you find out you're pregnant. You'll also receive access to the recipe portal with over 100 exclusive, nourishing recipes to try. We designed the Pregnancy Pod so that each pod would be made up of people giving birth within a three month period. This allows participants to move through the stages of pregnancy together, learn the content when it is relevant, and take all the classes before their 38th week of pregnancy. If you fall outside of the date cut-off but are still interested in joining, please email us to discuss your options.
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Worried about committing before your first trimester?Enrollment for each pod is open for six weeks. Because we know you can't control what happens in your pregnancy, we offer a 100% refund, no questions asked, anytime before registration closes.
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I need financial assistance. Do you offer sliding-scale rates and payment plans?Four out of twelve spaces in the Pregnancy Pod are dedicated for clients in need of sliding scale. Payment plan options are available to all. We believe people know their financial ability and trust them to chose a payment that is right for them. That's it. No questions asked. These spaces are available on a first-come, first serve basis. Please email carly@monarchandmilkweed.com to learn more.
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What do we do each session?Each session has a key educational piece. While we cover a lot of information (one of our values is empowerment through education), we keep it easy to digest, interactive, and get down to the most important takeaways. You can read our full curriculum here. We also do group check-ins, practice a mindfulness technique, and have open chat time for questions and answers.
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What’s a culinary immersion workshop?Each culinary immersion workshop we meet in the kitchen! You’ll get the recipes in advance and together we’ll cook a few nutrient dense, delicious meals to nourish you and your baby. Carly weaves together nutrition education with cooking skills and techniques, bringing all the nutrition themes we've been discussing together in real (yummy) food. Participants absolutely love these classes.
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Already enrolled and waiting for your Pregnancy Pod to start?Amazing. We're so glad you've joined us! We'll schedule your welcome call and you can choose to use your 45-minute coaching calls with Carly and/or Melissa during this time if you desire. Please watch the first two pre-recorded workshops: Nutrition for Pregnancy 101 and Food Strategies, Herbal Remedies, and Lifestyle Medicine Part 1. These classes contain information to begin implementing as soon as you find out you're pregnant. You can also check out and try cooking some of the recipes on our site.
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What’s the fourth trimester and why is the Pregnancy Pod so long?The fourth trimester is considered the first three months postpartum. It’s the time when baby is acclimating to life outside the womb and can be particularly challenging for new parents. There's adjusting to frequent feedings, disturbed night sleep, and all the newness that a baby brings into our lives. Optimal nourishment for the birthing person can help to ease this transitional time. We want to see you through this journey and fourth trimester is very much an integral piece of it.
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What makes this program different?Community, connection, and collaboration. You know the phrase, "it takes a village?" We believe that we’re stronger in partnership. Sure, you can learn a lot of the facts about nutrition and herbal remedies, find meditation recordings online, and watch birth prep videos for hours. The internet is teeming with this stuff. What you won't find out there is a program that provides all this information (filtered by experts who have been through it), brings you together with other pregnant people, and provides such a comprehensive and holistic look at nourishment for birth.
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What are the dates for the live sessions (Feb, March, and April Due Date Pod)?"Sept 13 - Intro to Intuitive Eating and Body Talk Sept 27 - Culinary Immersion Workshop Pt 1 Oct 11 - Food Strategies, Herbal Remedies, and Lifestyle medicine for Pregnancy Pt 2 Oct 25 - Culinary Immersion Workshop Pt 2 Nov 8 - Childbirth Ed 1 Nov 22 - Childbirth Ed 2 Dec 6 - Childbirth Ed 3 Dec 20 - Food Strategies, Herbal Remedies, and Lifefstyle Medicine for Labor Jan 3 - Food Strategies, Herbal Remedies, and Lifestyle Medicine for Postpartum Jan 17 - Culinary Immersion Workshop Pt 3 April TBD - Postpartum Support Group May TBD - Postpartum Support Group
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What if I miss a session?Classes will be recorded and available for playback for the duration of your Pregnancy Pod.
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Should my partner or another support person attend all the meetings or is this for the birthing person only?Birth partners and support people are always invited to join. Their participation can be an extra boost in helping to enact and carry out a lot of what we talk about in this program. But it’s not at all essential. However, we highly suggest birth partners to join for all four of Melissa's Childbirth Education classes and Carly's Partner's Edition Culinary Immersion workshop. In these sessions, birth partners will learn how to best support the birthing person during birth and the initial postpartum period. They’ll be taking care of you (so you can take care of babe). So hearing this information firsthand can help set everyone up for a more easeful birth and fourth trimester.
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Why don't you list the dates for the postpartum sessions?Depending on the due dates for the pod, we'll schedule postpartum sessions accordingly such that all participants will be able to have maximum benefit. You can plan for them to take place at the same time and day as the rest of the pod sessions. We'll announce exact postpartum dates when live classes start.
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Can I purchase enrollment in The Pregnancy Pod as a gift for someone?What a thoughtful gift! You sure can :) Email carly@monarchandmilkweed.com for support.
Carly Wertheim
Nutritionist, Herbalist,
Chef, & Momma
Melissa Tarras
Birth Doula, Childbirth Educator,
& Lactation Consultant