The Moment is Now

Our lives exist in moments. We don’t recall a period of our life or even a singular day. Rather our consciousness weaves together periodic moments that define our memories. As an Obstetrician gynecologist I have been given the opportunity to experience the most intense and transformative moments of my patients lives. I have shared these in the middle of long nights, at the brink of many dawns, sometimes alone, frequently accompanied by loved ones, doulas, midwives and birth assistants. Perhaps the most sacred moment exists just before birth, just as the struggle and power are about to culminate into the creation of a new life. Change comes as the world welcomes a new traveler, celebrates a new opportunity to makes things right again and the journey begins anew for another. While I have heralded many births, I still find myself holding my breath at that final push, the exact moment just before a new person enters the room. The wonderment of possibility and the significance of love often overwhelms. This is indeed the very moment where I now find myself in my own life. I stand poised to witness the beginning of an ecologically friendly, socially responsible birthing center in Carlsbad, California. The process leading to this moment has indeed been laborious, filled with the drama of challenging an existing medical model and the transformative power of a group of committed individuals working together to give birth to this place called Babies by the Sea Birthing Center with views of the expansive Pacific Ocean. While the doors will open in May of 2010, the movement has already gained momentum. The first phase involved the opening of Babies by the Sea Boutique in Cardiff by the Sea, California on September 25, 2009. Please read about us below and join us as we set an example of how to make birth and parenting a sacred and beautiful opportunity to indeed change the world. To join in the movement please sign up for our newsletter and stay tuned for many opportunities to become a part of this journey. Together we can help provide an example of how medicine and nature can be soulfully connected in a sacred place to allow for the power of birth to be released.
Gratefully,
Robert M. Biter, MD

Babies by the Sea Boutique Opens in Cardiff Offering Families Eco-Friendly Products and Resources to Help “Grow Kids Naturally”

San Diego, CA (November 2009) – Mother and child are poised for an innovative and uniquely nurturing shopping experience with the opening of Babies by the Sea Boutique in Cardiff-By-The-Sea, California. Conceptualized by renowned Obstetrician/Gynecologist and founder of Babies by the Sea Birth Center, Dr. Robert Biter, and brought to life by Laura Ann Fairchild, new mother and former owner of the L.A. Fairchild Boutique and Denim Bar, the boutique was conceived out of a shared passion to provide a retail and educational destination for mothers, babies and toddlers that addresses their desire for products and resources that are both fashionable and environmentally responsible.

The only "mother-baby-child" focused boutique in the marketplace that combines the extensive medical background of an established and well-respected OB/GYN with the keen fashion and product knowledge of a visionary retail veteran, Babies by the Sea Boutique is uniquely qualified to provide a friendly, educational and communal setting to help guide parents through multiple aspects of life with their children, where every product is extensively researched and hand selected by Dr. Biter and Laura based on its unique quality, safety, practicality, sustainability or other thoughtfully designed benefit to customers.

“The inspiration for Babies by the Sea was quite literally born out of a dream I had about providing an overall network of natural, non-pressure filled opportunities for pregnant women and new mothers during this amazing time in their lives. Babies by the Sea Boutique was a natural extension of the services we will provide to our patients at the Birth Center, where families, from all walks of life, can come in and feel welcomed, supported and find products that they can feel confidence in,” says Dr. Biter. “Laura was the ideal partner to bring this vision to life, bringing with her an unrivaled depth of experience in the retail arena and a compassion for children and healthy living options that is unparalleled. ”

Thoughtfully designed and based upon sustainable and environmentally friendly practices, the boutique evokes feelings of comfort and warmth from the moment customers step in the door. Rich browns and vibrant green hues of non-VOC paint envelop the store throughout while eco-conscious materials are given new life in the form of bamboo shelving, recycled pallets for display tables, burlap coffee sacks for wall coverings, reclaimed and salvaged urban wood for beams, and recycled glass countertops.

Watching over the store is a towering “Tree of Life” sculpture custom designed by local San Diego artist, Robert Verhees. With its hand carved trunk made of reclaimed wood and hundreds of glistening, multi-colored hand-blown recycled glass leaves, the tree symbolizes the diversity in all of us and provides the perfect setting under which frequent children’s story time and active “toy testing” takes place in store.

Amongst the many treasures that Babies by the Sea Boutique has to offer is an eclectic assortment of environmentally conscious products hand selected and extensively researched by Dr. Biter and Laura, assembled to help parents navigate their way to the healthiest, safest, most natural products available through various phases of child-rearing. From hip diaper bags made of remnant fabrics, maternity and children’s clothing made of organic cotton and ultra-soft bamboo fiber and toys that use only safe vegetable dye coloring processes, to a myriad of educational and art books and a comprehensive selection of nursing necessities, Babies by the Sea Boutique offers a complete assortment of eco-friendly mother, infant, baby and toddler essentials selected to meet the needs of mother and child from the moment a woman becomes pregnant.

Customers “on the go” can also shop for gifts by selecting a handcrafted gift basket designed for various life celebrations and featuring Babies by the Sea Boutique favorite items or pick up organic, farm fresh, baby food made to order by local provider, Chickpeas.

Furthering its commitment to the community and education, Babies by the Sea Boutique strives to serve as a “home base” of support for its customers, offering extensive classes and lecture series, including topics such as prenatal and mommy & me yoga, baby and toddler nutrition, CPR, infant massage, baby sign language, children’s music, natural birthing and many more. In keeping with the family theme, Julie Fairchild, Laura’s sister and business partner, organizes special event s and programs for the boutique customers. Classes and lecture series evolve regularly, with a full schedule available online. Babies by the Sea Boutique is also proud to be a Stroller Strides® class location.

A life-long proponent of natural women's and babies' healthcare, Dr. Biter is the founder of two non profit organizations, Her Hearts Wish, a national wish granting program for terminally ill women and Seaside Giving, a local program that grants healthcare to qualified woman in exchange for their commitment to work hours of community service equal to the care provided to them.

In Spring 2010, Dr. Biter will celebrate the next evolution in his vision as the new Babies by the Sea Birth Center opens, affording his patients the ability to birth their babies in a natural, healthy setting, with the convenience of having all the necessary surgical and medical back-up in the event of crisis situations.

About Babies by the Sea Boutique
Babies by the Sea Boutique’s mission is to empower healthy beginnings and support sustainable families by offering cutting-edge natural-living resources and products, in-depth educational opportunities, and fashion-forward organic and boutique apparel; and to create a nurturing, open-minded, non-judgmental, accepting of difference, multi-cultural social network to meet the evolving physical, developmental, intellectual, and emotional needs of all mothers, babies, and toddlers.

Babies by the Sea Boutique is located at 2007 San Elijo Avenue in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California. For more information please visit www.babiesbytheseaboutique.com or call (760) 230-4272.