Relocating to Nashville, TN area

[mmswife]

My family and I are moving in about 4-6 weeks to the Nashville area. My husband will be working downtown. So we are undecided on which part we want to live. More on that in a bit.

I am hoping someone can point me in the right direction on a few things. Here's a few things about us.

Hubby and I have been married 3 years. We have a 20 month old son. We are crunchy converts. Both of us grew up rather mainstream but after much research we've found that the more natural lifestyle works for us. We still have a long way to go though, I'm sure!

I had DS in the hospital but did so without medication of any kind. We are both lactivists and intactivist. DS is still nursing tons at nearly 2! We are currently anti-vax and don't expect to change. I am taking more and more interest in natural remedies. We rarely take medication and opt to treat things with essential oils, Bach flower remedies and various other natural supplements. We are Young Living oil distributors, btw.

DS is still in our bed and we all love it! We cloth diaper about 80% of the time. I still don't LOVE it but sposies break his bum out if he's in them more than a day or so.

I am training to be a doula through CBI. It's been on the back burner for a bit but I do hope to look for some clients. I need one more certifying birth for sure!

We are hoping to have our next baby at home though we are not currently ttc.

So here's some things you all may be able to help on:

-Housing, we will be renting for a while until we learn the area. We need safe above all but would like it to be cheap. We do not have a large budget right now. We also need to be somewhat close to his office or to public transit since we are currently a one car family.

-Support groups. I am on a local yahoo group which I have loved. Does Nashville have a similar group? I'd also like to think I could find the confidence to branch out and attend some local support/play groups. So suggestions on those would be great too.

-Doula groups. The one here is mostly DONA certified doulas and they have been pretty snobby about me training through CBI. Will this be the case in TN too?

-Places to buy food. I am THRILLED to be near a Trader Joes! But our food budget will be tight so other ways to get good healthy food at a good price would be a life saver!

-Other natural/AP stores. We have a great little one where we are now so I'd love to know some in the Nashville area. While I try to order diapers and detergent (we use RnG) online there have been times I've needed to buy local.

-Chiropractors or other natural health providers. I'm undecided if we should establish ourselves with medical doctors or bypass them in favor of natural doctors. Suggestions on both would be excellent.

-Eventually, midwives. I am excited that midwives don't have to practice underground! I'd even love to find a way to take on some homebirth doula clients.

Anything else you think I should know?

Thanks in advance!

[mmswife]

No help? :(

[treeoflife3]

Too bad you aren't coming to clarksville instead.  I have no answers for Nashville :( 

[atlyogamomma]

DH is from Nashville, his folks still live/work in town, and we both went to college there. PM me and I'll give you my phone number...these days it's easier for me to chat for a few minutes than it is for me to find time to answer all your questions in a post.

[SamsMuffin]

Hi mmswife!  I'm not a Nashville expert, but I can try to answer some of your questions.  We just moved here in Feb. and have fallen in love with the city!

Food - We love The Turnip Truck.  One is downtown on 12th and the other is in East Nashville.  Their bulk item prices are excellent and even the prices on other items isn't too bad.  They have organic apples for $1.49 a lb.  We moved from Charlotte, NC, and the prices here seem waaaaay cheaper.  We could never afford to buy what we buy here in TN while in NC.  Also, the Farmer's Market downtown is great!  We buy grass-fed/finished, no hormone, no antibiotic beef for $2.99 a lb. there.  There are several different meat dealers at the market and tons of produce, homemade jams, etc.  It's a BIG farmer's market.  We also shop at Aldi for all the extra little things we can't get somewhere else.  There are many different CSAs that you can join too.

Support Groups - There is an Attachment Parenting International support group that meets monthly in downtown Nashville.  There is also one that meets in Mt. Juliet.  There are a lot of homeschool support groups also.

Housing - That's the hardest one - the neighborhoods are hard to tag as either safe or dangerous, especially once you get closer to downtown.  Hillsboro area near Vandy is beautiful, but expensive.  Donelson area (about 10 min. from downtown) is very safe and cheap.  They also have a commuter-rail train that takes you into downtown Nashville (www.musiccitystar.org).  Avoid most of Antioch.  East Nashville is cheap, but not always safe.  There is some drug and gang activity.  I don't know much about the west side of Nashville.  Hendersonville to the north I've heard is nice.  Overall, it's a city and there is crime  It's just something you have to deal with when you live in a city.  I would suggest using www.crimemapping.com and www.familywatchdog.us to figure out where you would feel safest.  Right now, we're in an apartment by the airport.  We're 10 min. from downtown.  It's not super nice, but is does have low crime compared to other areas of the city.  We plan on moving to either Donelson, Hermitage, or Mt. Juliet (last on our list though because of the drive to downtown) once our lease is up.  The farther out you get (like Hermitage, Mt. Juliet, Brentwood, Franklin, etc.), the less crime, but then you have to deal with long commutes.  Everything seems much closer and easier to get to though compared to where we moved from. 

Health care providers - There are several different natural health providers in the area.  There is a group in Franklin - a bit of a drive, but a lot of people like them.  I can't suggest a chiropractor here, but I know that there are several.  There are also homebirth midwives.  Tender Beginnings Birth Services and Nashville Midwifery Services are two of them.  The Farm (Ina May Gaskin) is about two hours away.  There are two birthing centers, also both about two hours away - Natchez Trace and one in Cookeville. 

Hope this has helped some!  Nashville is an awesome city!  We have an almost 5 year old and a 2.5 year old and there is so much to do here.  The downtown library is incredible - their weekly story-time has puppet shows, juggling, music...  And they put on big puppet shows about once a month.  Percy Priest Lake is nice, and Long Hunter State Park on the east side of the lake has nice hiking.  They have "Nature Circle" every Monday during the school year.  It's like storytime, but with a nature focus.  The Nashville Zoo is fun - if you plan on going often, it is definitely worth it to buy a season pass. Edwin Warner Park has the Nature Play play area - basically an area for kids that has huge dirt hills, mud, a mini-log cabin, and plenty of shovels, wood blocks, etc. for creative play.  There is also a creek a few yards off to play in and plenty of hiking trails.  There is a greenway that runs from Percy Priest lake to Shelby Park in East Nashville.  I think it's around 18ish miles or so.  Dragon Park (I think it's really called Fanny Mae Dees park) on Blakemore (downtown) is neat.  Lots of great music...  If you like authentic Bluegrass, visit The Station Inn (across from the Turnip Truck on 12th)  They have different performers every night and it's a no-smoking building.  Hillsboro Village (kind of an artsy/shop area) has an art walk one Thursday each month.  Oh, and Opryland.  It's ostentatious, but it does have some of the most beautiful indoor gardens that you can walk through for free.  Also, check out: blogs.tennessean.com/cheap/  This is through the local newspaper, but "Ms. Cheap" blogs all the free Nashville area activities that are going on.

[DoulaHeidi]

Originally Posted by mmswife 

-Doula groups. The one here is mostly DONA certified doulas and they have been pretty snobby about me training through CBI. Will this be the case in TN too?

-Eventually, midwives. I am excited that midwives don't have to practice underground! I'd even love to find a way to take on some homebirth doula clients.

I'm guessing you're just now getting here and getting settled in.  Welcome!  I'm a new transplant to Middle TN myself, having just arrived in February this year.

The Nashville area has some official and unofficial birth professional groups.  The Nashville Birth Network chapter is "official" and not limited to doulas.  (They have a Yahoo email group you can join without being a paid member of the chapter.) Then there are informal groups of doulas who meet to chat about birthy topics.  :)  There are a ton of doulas and childbirth educators in Nashville, at least as compared to where I'm from originally.  The demand for doulas is high, but the supply of doulas is high as well.

So far, while I've been "welcomed" into the community by most, with some I feel like it has mostly been in word only.  Everyone is "happy to meet me" and such, but I've felt that I'm being kept at arm's length.  That could just be my perception, but I've been around this profession for 10 years and have seen this before.  It's basically only a few people who I've received this from, but it's the ones who have the most influence and are protecting their territory.  And this does happen to be a DONA town, so you may encounter that prejudice here, too.

That said, I've met many awesome birth ladies who have been genuinely happy to get to know me.  Don't be discouraged!

The midwives come in two groups:  the CNMs at Vanderbilt (affectionately known as Vandy) and the homebirth CPMs who are members of the TN Midwives Association.  Both groups have a variety of personalities, of course, but I haven't heard anything yet to discourage me from recommending any of them.

And then there's me!  ;)  I'm a birth doula and childbirth educator.  And although I am new here just like you, I'd be glad to help you out however I can and get you connected within the birth community.

Blessings,

Heidi Duncan

doulaheidi.webs.com