March 29, 2005: “Spotlight
on Small Business”
 Oswego
Business Owner Offers Women, Couples a Unique “Birth Journey”
As she flips through a bursting scrap book
of clippings and photos of her clients and their new babies, Birth
Journeys owner Kathleen Ruggio explains that her ultimate goal is
to help women and couples with the labor and birth process.
“This is my business. I have to keep
track of appointments, accounting, marketing and all of the other
things to keep it functioning successfully, but the reason I’m
in it is to help people and make a positive difference during one
of the most important times in their lives,” she said.
Ruggio is a certified doula, an ancient Greek
word used to refer to a woman experienced in child birth who provides
continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to the
mother before, during, and just after birth. In addition to being
a certified doula, Ruggio is also a licensed practical nurse, HypnoBirthing®
practitioner and a USUI Reiki Master.
According to Ruggio, women who are supported
by a doula during labor have been shown to have:
- 50 percent reduction of cesarean rate;
- 25 percent shorter labor;
- 60 percent reductions in epidural requests;
and
- 40 percent reduction in forceps delivery.
In addition to doula services, Ruggio also
specializes in HypnoBirthing®, a natural child birth technique
designed to allow a woman in labor to experience a safe, peaceful
and satisfying birthing without fear that can cause tension and
pain, all while maintaining total control and memory of everything
that is transpiring around her. According to Ruggio, what the woman
experiences most often is a quiet, comfortable peacefulness and
relaxation that actually enhances the birthing of her baby.
“I find that using a fuller relaxation
technique, such as hypnosis, is a gentle way of comforting a mother
and empowering her to an even fuller experience of birthing. Because
the use of medications is usually not necessary, the mother and
her partner are able to experience every part of the birthing process
with the least discomfort and total consciousness,” Ruggio
said. “Many couples find that practicing relaxation is also
beneficial and calming to their baby.”
Other services offered by Birth Journeys
include, heart-centered hypnotherapy, reiki treatments (a technique
for stress reduction and relaxation), raindrop technique, auricular
technique (application of oils to the acupuncture points on the
ears) and essential oil consulting. Additionally, Ruggio provides
her services free of charge to partners of military personnel serving
in war, stationed overseas, or away on military leave through “Operation
Special Delivery,” a non- profit international program serving
all branches of the United States Armed Forces and their operations
throughout the world.
“Being a mother of four children, I
appreciate being able to offer a variety of options for mothers-to-be
and their partners. It’s my goal to learn as many modalities
of complimentary healing that will provide an atmosphere conducive
to a wonderful and unique birth journey,” she said.
Located in the town of Scriba, Ruggio has
been in business since 2000. In 2003, she participated in the Micro-Enterprise
Training Program and received funding assistance from the County
of Oswego Industrial Development Agency to expand her home-based
business.
“The Micro-Enterprise class was a terrific
course for beginning entrepreneurs in that you learn all about how
to start and manage your business, but you also have the opportunity
to network with other business owners and exchange ideas and information,”
Ruggio said. “I would recommend the class to anyone thinking
about starting or expanding their business.”
For more information about Birth Journeys,
call Ruggio at (315) 342-3925, or visit www.birthjourneys.net.
If you too are thinking of starting or expanding
your own small business in Oswego County, there are several resources
available to you:
- The SBA 504
loan program offers accessible, fixed rate, long
term financing for land, buildings and equipment. Businesses eligible
for SBA 504 loans are independently-owned, for-profit businesses
that are ready to expand and create jobs. A Certified Development
Company such as Operation Oswego County finances 30 to 40 percent
of the project with an SBA 504 loan, and the small business provides
10 to 20 percent equity;
- The
Small Business Development Center is located at SUNY
Oswego’s Rich Hall and provides a wide range of free technical
assistance in the areas of business plan development, exploring
funding options, business expansion planning and marketing;
- Operation Oswego County, the Small Business
Development Center, the City of Fulton Community Development Agency
and the City of Oswego Community Development Office coordinate
the Micro-Enterprise Training Program
which guides the entrepreneur through all aspects of starting
and running a small business. Step-by-step classroom instruction
is presented by area business professionals on topics such as
business planning and financing, accounting and tax issues, marketing
and business insurance; and
- Operation Oswego County’s business
incubators offer affordable rental space for non-retail
industrial and service businesses. The Start-up Facility in Phoenix,
and the Oswego County Business Expansion Center in Oswego are
designed to help businesses achieve growth and development during
the first few years of business with the intention of eventually
moving out of the building and into private commercial space.
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