On August 6, the 2026 Mama Glow Summer Fellows—Naa Dei Ashie, Mikayla Blackson, and Jadyn Sinclair—brought their collective vision for community-centered maternal care to life with Baby, We Got You, a free community baby shower hosted at the Soft Space by Mama Glow in Brooklyn. Designed to celebrate and support new and expectant parents, the afternoon brought together 50 pregnant individuals and families, doulas, healthcare providers, community organizations, and local partners for an experience rooted in education, connection, and care.
More than a traditional baby shower, Baby, We Got You created a space where expectant families could ask questions, build relationships, discover resources, and gain practical knowledge to help them feel more prepared for pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and the transition into parenthood. Throughout the afternoon, guests were encouraged to engage openly with care providers and one another, creating an atmosphere that was both celebratory and deeply informative.
At the heart of the event was a simple but important message: you deserve to feel supported, informed, and cared for as you become a parent.
Building Connections Through Care Team Speed Dating
One of the afternoon’s highlights was the Care Team Speed Dating activity, facilitated by Fellow Jadyn Sinclair. The interactive experience was designed to demystify the healthcare landscape and give attendees an opportunity to connect directly with a range of professionals who may become an important part of their pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and parenting journeys.
Over the course of the activity, providers—including a doula, pediatrician, midwife, family nurse practitioner, pelvic floor specialist, and mental health specialist—rotated through six small groups. Attendees were able to ask questions in a welcoming, low-pressure environment and learn more about the different roles each provider can play in supporting a family.
Rather than simply providing information, the activity encouraged participants to think critically about their own care needs and what kind of support might be right for them. Guests could learn about when and why they might seek out a particular specialist, what questions to ask a provider, and how different members of a care team can work together.
The result was a meaningful opportunity to turn an often-overwhelming healthcare system into something more approachable and personal. Families left with not only answers to their questions, but also a stronger understanding of the people and resources available to them as they navigate their journeys into parenthood.
Nourishment, Culture, and Pregnancy
Nutrition was another important part of the afternoon, with Fellow Mikayla Blackson leading a hands-on workshop focused on nourishing the body during pregnancy while honoring culture and tradition.
Rather than approaching pregnancy nutrition through a restrictive lens, Mikayla centered the workshop around practicality, accessibility, and cultural relevance. Guests learned how to prepare a pregnancy-friendly, plant-based ceviche while exploring how familiar foods and cultural traditions can be thoughtfully adapted during pregnancy.
The workshop reinforced an empowering message: pregnancy does not mean you have to give up the foods and traditions that connect you to your culture. Instead, there are accessible ways to modify beloved dishes and ingredients to make them pregnancy-friendly while continuing to celebrate the flavors, practices, and traditions that make food meaningful.
By combining hands-on learning with conversation, the workshop gave attendees practical tools they could take home and incorporate into their everyday lives. It also created an opportunity to recognize food not simply as a source of nutrition, but as an important part of identity, community, family, and cultural connection.
Baby, We Got You: A Moment Rooted in Community
As the afternoon came to a close, each of the 50 pregnant individuals and families in attendance received a Baby, We Got You Bag, a thoughtfully curated collection of maternal and newborn essentials organized by Fellow Naa Dei Ashie.
The bags were made possible through the generosity of Mama Glow’s incredible brand partners, who donated products to ensure families could leave the event with tangible resources to support them during pregnancy, postpartum, and early parenthood. The assortment included practical essentials such as diapers, wipes, stretch mark cream, baby shampoo, a manual breast pump, and other products designed to support both parent and baby.
The Baby, We Got You Gift Bags included generous contributions from: Evereden, Miracle Mama, Bird & Be, LOLA, Bobbie, Perelel, Pure Mama, Frida, SIMPLi, Carol’s Daughter, Coterie, Attn: Grace, Chiyo, Oula, Chance of Sunny, BBhugme and Trader Joe’s.
Guests also participated in a grocery raffle and took home produce from Trader Joe’s and pregnancy pillowsThese donations represented more than a collection of products. They were a tangible expression of the community surrounding these families and a reminder that preparing for parenthood does not have to happen alone.
More Than a Baby Shower
Baby, We Got You was ultimately about creating access—to information, to trusted providers, to practical resources, and to community.
The event gave the 2026 Mama Glow Summer Fellows an opportunity to bring their individual areas of interest and expertise together in service of a shared goal: helping families feel more informed, empowered, and supported as they enter parenthood. Through provider connections, nutrition education, open conversation, and meaningful resources, the Fellows created an experience that acknowledged the many dimensions of pregnancy and parenthood.
Guests left the Soft Space carrying bags filled with essential products, but the most lasting takeaways were less tangible: new knowledge, greater confidence, practical skills, trusted connections, and a stronger sense of community.
The event was a celebration of the village it takes to support a family—and a reminder that every new and expectant parent deserves to know that they are not navigating this journey alone.
