Open for Business: Herself Moms

Everyone knows that babies don’t come with a manual. But for Placer County moms, the next best thing is Julie Hurst and her staff at .

For everything from what to expect when you’re expecting to getting your pre-baby body back and introducing Junior to solid foods, Herself Moms has you covered.

A 200-RYT Certified Yoga Instructor Certified Childbirth Educator, Hurst started the Herself family five years ago with a Yoga studio in Midtown Sacramento.

“I was teaching prenatal Yoga at Sutter’s pregnant gym and working as a Childbirth Educator creating and developing the program at Sutter when we lost funding and those resources were lost due to budget cuts,” Hurst said. “There was and still is such a huge need for those resources in the community, and decided to branch out on my own.”

The Herself Yoga studio came first followed by the Herself Mom’s resource center in Roseville in 2009. Between the two locations, Hurst and her staff of certified professionals offer classes that span from
labor and delivery techniques, relationship counseling for new and expectant parents, daddy and me bonding and early childhood nutrition all taught by certified professionals in their field.

After baby is born when new moms are anxious to get out of maternity clothes and back into their pre-baby jeans, Hurst teaches a postpartum sculpt class where bringing your 8-pound bundle of joy is part of the exercise regimen.

Photos on the Herself Moms website show moms lifting weights with baby strapped to their chests in Baby Bjorn’s, using exercise bands while baby naps in a nearby carrier, or doing crunches with baby balanced on their laps.

“The class schedule is set up to work around all moms’ schedules whether she’s stay at home or back to work,” Hurst said.

Informational and pre-natal yoga classes are held in the early evenings while the postpartum sculpt classes are held late mornings and are designed for moms on leave who want to get in shape before heading back to work.

Penny Mach, a registered dietician and one of the early childhood nutrition instructors, said Herself Mom’s expanse of resources don’t take the place of a woman’s physician, but are a secondary network
of professionals who are a moms' biggest cheerleader.

“Pregnancy and early parenthood is an overwhelming time that for first timers is like traveling uncharted territory,” Mach said. “You may not feel like you can call your doctor 24 hours a day, or may feel like your concerns are irrational or unimportant, but here there’s a network of professionals and other moms who have heard it all before and understand what you’re going through.”

Or as Hurst puts it, “doctors give medical information, our classes provide living information on the day to day.”

What you need to know:

• Herself Yoga, 2791 24th St., Sacramento
• Herself Moms, 8331 Sierra College Blvd. Ste 210, Roseville
• A third, Midtown location is on its way