CELEBRATE & SUPPORT. The Empowered Parents Expo, a first-time community event, is coming up on July 27.  It will be hosted by Jennifer Hafele of Mama Bear Family Care, pictured above. (Submitted photo)

The first-ever Empowered Parents Expo is coming to the Chippewa Valley on Saturday, July 27. Held at Eau So Fun Parties (2230 Eastridge Center, Eau Claire), the free-to-attend inaugural event is aimed at expectant and established parents committed to their children’s growth, as well as their own, while providing them with opportunities to learn from experts and professionals and build an encouraging community.

Hosted by Mama Bear Family Care, an Eau Claire-based practice founded by Jennifer Hafele, the inaugural Empowered Parents Expo was purposefully planned to occur at the end of July as a nod to the societal pressures associated with breastfeeding and parenting. 

Event speakers include Missy Jenneman, LCSW, PMH-C, of Authentic Mental Health on how perinatal mental health matters for the whole family; Dr. Alice Kephart, DC, of Rejoice Chiropractic on infant nervous system health impacts on growth and development; Dr. Kate Todd, PT, DPT of  Optimum Therapies on the importance of pelvic floor therapy for pregnant and postpartum people; and Hafele, MEd, IBCLC, of Mama Bear Family Care on finding success and balance within the lactation/infant-feeding journey.

“It’s time to celebrate all parenting journeys and the ways parents show up and get it done,” Hafele said. “Nourishing our kids – and ourselves – can look a lot of different ways.”

Service providers brought together for the event include a gentle infant sleep coach, birth/postpartum/overnight doulas, craniosacral therapists, birth center staff, ultrasound diagnostician, and leaders of Chippewa Valley Babywearers.

More potential resources and businesses will be onsite as well, including certified car seat technicians for car seat safety checks, a newborn/family photographer for mini photo shoots, and massage therapists for chair massages.

Hafele, a former English teacher with a master’s degree in education, said she had “all different experiences” nursing each of her three children, which prompted her to become an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. The seven-person team at Mama Bear offers childbirth education, lactation consulting, gentle infant sleep coaching, and parenting support spaces.

Visit the Mama Bear Family Care Facebook page for more info on the Empowered Parents Expo • The expo will be held at 2230 Eastridge Center, Eau Claire, from 10am-7pm on July 27 • Email Jennifer@MamaBearFamilyCare.com with inquiries