As a Minneapolis newborn and family photographer and mom of three, I know how overwhelming pregnancy and postpartum can feel. There are so many questions, so many changes, and somehow never enough time to figure everything out (especially when you’re running on very little sleep).
That’s why I started Made for Minnesota Moms, to connect local moms with people and resources that can actually help.
For this episode, I sat down with Katie Vance Luse, director and owner of Blooma, a pregnancy and postpartum wellness center in South Minneapolis.
I’ve experienced Blooma’s community firsthand, and I love how many different ways they support families. From prenatal yoga and childbirth education to postpartum care and support groups for moms, there’s a lot available in one place.
Katie and I talked about motherhood support in Minneapolis, finding your people, and the resources she wishes more parents knew existed.
Meet Katie Vance Luse, Director and Owner of Blooma
Katie first discovered Blooma during her pregnancy in 2019. She joined the team in 2022 after leaving her corporate career, where her experiences with pregnancy and maternity leave inspired her to find better ways to support working parents.
Today, she leads Blooma’s efforts to support families through movement, education, and community.
Katie lives with her spouse, Kiel, their three children, and their dog, Goldy.
Watch the Interview or Read the Q&A
Want to hear our full conversation? You can watch my interview with Katie on YouTube below.
Or, if you’re short on time (or reading this with a baby asleep on your chest), I’ve organized the highlights into a Q&A below.
Motherhood Support in Minneapolis: Q&A with Katie Vance Luse from Blooma
1. How did you find Blooma, and what led you to become its director and owner?
Katie was 30 and pregnant with her first baby when she realized she was the first among her friends to become a mom. She felt lonely navigating such a big change.
After hearing about Blooma’s How to Have a Kick-Ass Pregnancy seminar, she signed up and quickly found her community.
She took prenatal classes, hired her birth doulas through Blooma, and continued attending mom and baby yoga after her son was born.
During her second pregnancy, which happened during COVID, Blooma’s virtual conversations helped her stay connected.
After leaving her corporate job, Katie wanted to help create better support systems for parents. When an opportunity to work at Blooma came along after her second baby, she knew it was where she wanted to be.
2. Was Blooma always meant to offer so many services?
Blooma started in 2007 when founder Sarah Longacre opened a space for prenatal yoga.
Over time, the business expanded into childbirth education, birth and postpartum doula services, workshops, and other wellness offerings.
Katie explained that Blooma continues adding programs based on what families need, including pelvic floor education, motherhood groups, and postpartum Pilates.
Her goal is to make Blooma a place where parents can receive care during a season when they’re spending so much energy caring for everyone else.
3. How does Blooma make childbirth education practical for expecting parents?
I remember leaving my own hospital childbirth class feeling overwhelmed, so I loved hearing how Blooma approaches education.
Katie explained that classes include hands-on learning, such as practicing diaper changes, bottle preparation, and newborn care.
They also offer Spinning Babies classes, which focus on positioning and movement during pregnancy and labor.
Another important part of their education is helping parents understand their birth preferences.
Katie encourages families to think about the experience they want and whether their provider and birth setting support those goals.
That could mean exploring OB-GYNs, midwives, hospitals, birth centers, or home birth options.
I didn’t fully understand how many choices were available until I started interviewing Minnesota birth professionals for this series.
4. What pregnancy and postpartum resources do you wish more parents knew about?
Katie wishes more families understood the different types of support available beyond regular medical appointments.
For example, postpartum doulas can help with newborn care, meal preparation, light household tasks, and emotional support. Blooma also offers access to lactation consultants who can visit families at home.
We also talked about pelvic floor health.
During her third pregnancy, Katie experienced significant pelvic floor pain that made walking upstairs difficult. Knowing she could see a pelvic floor therapist gave her somewhere to turn.
Pain, leaking, and other pelvic floor symptoms are worth discussing with a qualified healthcare provider rather than assuming they’re an unavoidable part of motherhood.
5. What does postpartum support at Blooma look like?
Katie loves hearing that a family’s first outing with their newborn was to Blooma.
Parents can show up exactly as they are. Babies can cry, parents can feed or change diapers, and nobody expects everything to go perfectly.
Blooma offers Bring Your Own Baby Yoga, Babywearing Barre, postpartum workshops, and community groups.
Families can also explore postpartum massage, chiropractic care, acupuncture, and other bodywork services. Some practitioners offer services for infants and children, although families should discuss the appropriateness and evidence for those treatments with their child’s healthcare provider.
Katie shared that even with her third baby, spending time with moms whose babies were around the same age helped her feel less alone.
For moms looking for motherhood support in Minneapolis, having a place where they can bring their babies, ask questions, and connect with other parents can make those early outings feel a little easier.
6. Tell me about Blooma’s free new moms group. Who can attend?
This is one of my favorite resources Katie shared!
Blooma offers a free new moms group in Minneapolis, giving moms somewhere to connect, ask questions, and spend time with others going through a similar stage.
During our interview, Katie shared that the group met on Fridays, with a Thursday session being added because of its popularity.
The sessions she described ran from 1:45 to 2:45 p.m., following Bring Your Own Baby Yoga.
You can drop in without paying, although registering ahead is appreciated.
Katie described the group as welcoming babies until they’re crawling. Blooma’s current website lists a broader age range, so check the latest details before attending.
Find Blooma’s free new moms group and current schedule.
7. What’s the difference between the free moms group and the Motherhood Series?
The free new moms group is an ongoing drop-in gathering, while Blooma’s Motherhood Series is a more structured program.
Katie recommends starting the Motherhood Series when your baby is between two and ten weeks old.
The six-week program covers topics such as feeding, sleep, relationships, physical recovery, and returning to work.
Katie participated with her third baby and appreciated connecting with moms navigating those same early weeks.
You don’t have to be a first-time mom to benefit!
Explore Blooma’s motherhood programs.
8. What’s something you wish someone had told you during pregnancy or postpartum?
Katie’s answer was simple: The really hard parts don’t last forever.
She remembered pacing the carpet with her first baby, rocking him and singing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, wondering if she’d ever sleep again.
With her second baby, she still experienced those exhausting nights. But knowing they wouldn’t last forever helped her relax and enjoy more of the newborn stage.
We talked about how quickly babies change, too.
As a newborn photographer, I see it constantly. Sometimes I’ll photograph a baby during a Fresh 48 session and then again a few weeks later, and I can hardly believe how much they’ve grown.
It’s a good reminder that these early days are constantly changing, even when they feel endless.
9. What else should Minnesota moms know about Blooma?
Blooma offers movement classes for several stages of parenthood, including prenatal yoga, flow yoga, restorative yoga, barre, Pilates, and strength classes.
There are also caregiver-and-child yoga classes and weekend kids yoga options.
Katie mentioned Blooma’s pregnancy and postpartum massage services, including specially designed tables that accommodate pregnant and nursing bodies.
And if you’re interested in trying the movement classes, Blooma has a New Student Special offering a month of unlimited classes.
Check out Blooma’s New Student Special.
The Real Life Rescue Kit: Katie’s Minnesota Mom Favorites
I always wrap up my Made for Minnesota Moms interviews by asking guests to share a few local favorites that make family life easier.
Here’s what Katie recommended.
Favorite takeout: Fresh Wok
Katie’s family loves Fresh Wok for Chinese takeout. Her two older boys order the mild sesame chicken, while she and her husband get something spicier. Everyone finds something they like, and dinner is handled.
Favorite kid-friendly outing: Swimming
With three young kids, Katie loves taking everyone to the pool. It’s a fun way to get the kids moving, and we agreed that swimming is a pretty useful skill when you grow up surrounded by Minnesota lakes.
Favorite local mom resource: St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church Moms Group
Katie attends a moms group through St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Edina.
The group meets every other Wednesday during the school year and gives moms time to connect and reflect on life beyond parenting.
She also recommended Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) programs, school communities, and local Facebook mom groups.
One reminder I appreciated was that you don’t have to join a group immediately. Sometimes it’s enough to know what’s available when you have the time and energy.
Where to Find Blooma in Minneapolis
If you’re exploring motherhood support in Minneapolis, Blooma is a good place to start. Whether you’re looking for prenatal classes, postpartum services, or support groups for moms, here are the links to find what’s available.
Finding Your Village in Minnesota
One thing I’ve learned through Made for Minnesota Moms is how much motherhood support in Minneapolis is available once you know where to look. Even after having three kids, I’m still discovering services I wish I’d known about sooner.
I love that Blooma gives moms a place to connect, whether they’re preparing for their first baby, navigating postpartum recovery, or looking for a reason to get out of the house with their little one.
If you’re in the thick of postpartum life, I’ve put together a Postpartum Care Kit with simple ideas to help make those early weeks feel a little more manageable (because even the smallest things can make a difference when you’re running on very little sleep).
Still pregnant and getting ready for baby? You can also grab my free Minneapolis Pregnancy Guide. It’s filled with local resources and helpful ideas for navigating pregnancy and preparing for what’s ahead.
And if you’d like more conversations like this, I’d love for you to join my newsletter. I share practical tips, Minnesota resources, and new episodes of Made for Minnesota Moms to help you find the support you need, whenever you need it.
And if you’re getting ready to welcome a baby or want to remember this season of family life, I’d love to connect. As a Minneapolis newborn and family photographer, I love capturing the real moments that make your family yours (the snuggles, the chaos, and everything in between).
Disclaimer: This blog post is for educational and informational purposes only and does not provide medical advice. It is not a substitute for professional medical care, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek advice from your physician, midwife, or other qualified healthcare provider with questions about pregnancy, labor, postpartum, or your health.
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