Romy Karz Rapoport has earned a place in the hearts of many first-time moms in Malibu over the past nine years by offering childbirth education, pre- and post-natal yoga instruction, lactation consultation, coaching during labor and delivery, and monthly La Leche League meetings (a breastfeeding forum).
In the process of bringing her knowledge to the young families in the community, Rapoport has built a network of informational and emotional support for first-time mothers that never existed before in Malibu.
Rapoport’s mother influenced her by bucking the usual medical practices of the 1960s when she chose natural delivery of Romy, her fourth child, and breastfeeding instead of bottle-feeding. Her mother was also involved in La Leche League for breastfeeding support and became a childbirth educator. When she passed away 10 years ago, Rapoport was very moved when she discovered articles and books that her mother had left her on those topics.
After Rapoport’s son was in school, she became inspired to follow in her mother’s footsteps by becoming certified to teach childbirth classes (in addition to her ballet classes). She also remembered her own first-time mom experience.
“I was really lonely in Malibu. I remember just sitting there with my copy of Mothering magazine,” Rapoport said.
Although she knew “there had to be other young families” in town, she had no idea how to connect with them.
By offering childbirth classes, Rapoport not only gave important information to young couples, but the classes themselves allowed expectant couples to meet each other and connect as friends. She then added pre- and post-natal yoga classes to her repertoire because she noticed that many expectant mothers seemed detached from their bodies, and she wanted them to be able to “connect with their bodies.”
Rapoport next realized she was “working with a lot of young mothers having breastfeeding problems” and she wanted to be able to help them. She became certified as a “lactation specialist,” but wanted to be able to offer mothers more than just technical consulting advice, she wanted them to have emotional support as well.
That’s when Rapoport got the idea of starting a chapter of La Leche League in Malibu. The decades-old nonprofit had helped both her and her mother back in the day. The local chapter was launched in June 2012 and meets at the public library, with as many as 15 new mothers attending free monthly meetings for mother-to-mother support, encouragement, information, education and promotion of breastfeeding.
“It took awhile to get the Malibu League started, but now it seems like every meeting, there are more people,” Rapoport said. “The meetings always go long because there’s so much energy, and it’s great to see the mothers gain confidence. Some start coming when they’re still pregnant.”
A native of Los Angeles, Rapoport attended the prestigious School of American Ballet in NY and was a professional ballerina with the NYC Ballet from 1986 to 1995. She came to live in Malibu because her mother and grandmother were here. She describes the natural birth of her son Gabriel in 1996 as a “wonderful and empowering experience,” then went on to be a very involved mom as well as a ballet instructor in Malibu.
Despite her passion for the birth experience, Rapoport never gave up her interest in ballet. She’s been an artist in residence at the Malibu Friends of Music, a professional guest teacher for the annual “Dance in Flight” performances at Pepperdine, and a teacher for private instruction and classes. She’s also still expanding her repertoire for expectant parents, and recently became certified in prenatal massage.