Stoneham Native Opens Business, Hopes to Educate, Build Community for Moms

A new North Reading business is hoping to fill part of the void left by the closure of Isis Parenting in January. 

North Reading resident Karen Chipman recently opened Stork Ready at 325 Main St., near Boston Flower Market. 

Chipman has been teaching childbirth and working in labor delivery for 23 years. She has taught mothers throughout the area, including at Hallmark Health, Tufts Medical Center and Mass General Hospital.

She also taught at Isis Parenting. When Isis closed abruptly in January, parents across Greater Boston were left wondering if another business was going to fill the need. That was when Chipman decided it was time to open Stork Ready.

Within two months, she opened her new business on Main Street.  

“I had the support of Mass General doctors and some doctors from Melrose-Wakefield because they remember me,” said Chipman.

Many hospitals have childbirth classes for expectant mothers, but Chipman is also offering breastfeeding, infant CPR, prenatal yoga classes and breastfeeding support groups. 

New mothers often feel isolated, but Chipman wants to create a community where they can meet.

“It’s a huge need,” she said. “Women today, we’re all working. We’re all busy.”

She has held two classes so far. Her goal is to keep the classes small so each woman can have individualized attention.

All of her instructors are labor and delivery nurses, who are International Childbirth Education Association certified.

This is Chipman’s second foray into owning a small business in North Reading. The Stoneham native previously owned the retail/resale shop Kid to Kid, which started in Reading and eventually moved to Eastgate Plaza in North Reading.

Chipman said she wants to prepare mothers and their partners for childbirth. Giving birth can often be seen as scary, but Chipman wants parents to enjoy the experience of bringing a new life into the world.

She wants expectant parents excited about the birthing process. 

“What’s the most important thing for me is that birth isn't a scary thing.”

Find out more about the business and the classes being offered here.