‘Moms to Moms’ program helps with education, support and baby showers
A new free program designed to help expecting mothers prepare for parenthood is bringing together members of the Healdsburg community in unprecedented ways.
The program, dubbed “Moms to Moms,” is a partnership between Corazon Healdsburg and Alliance Medical Center — technically it’s part of Alliance’s Comprehensive Prenatal Services Program and supported by the medical center’s Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program.
In practice, Moms to Moms provides prenatal, birthing, lactation and peer-to-peer support education classes for pregnant mothers in their third trimester. The effort also seeks to collect from local residents donations of new or lightly used baby items — goods that volunteers will distribute to expecting mothers at group baby showers throughout the year.
The first baby shower is coming up May 7, and nine local mothers will be feted. One of the moms already had her baby; as of press time two others were due to deliver any day.
“This program is important because it’s one group of people in our community helping another,” said Leticia Romero, executive director of Corazon. “The fact that we are coming together in the name of healthy mothers and healthy babies — it doesn’t get better than that.”
As Romero explained, the Moms to Moms program has three major components.
First are the classes, which address everything from exercise during the final weeks of pregnancy to breastfeeding after the child is born. One of the sessions spotlights the importance of reading to children, and includes a swag bag of books and other items from the Healdsburg Public Library. Because an overwhelming number of the mothers involved in the program represent the local Latino community, classes are taught in Spanish. (English sessions also are available upon request.)
Second are the showers, which revolve around wish lists participating mothers fill out when they register. Lists offer everything from wipes, diapers and clothes to cribs and strollers. Another popular item: baby food and the equipment to make it. All mothers who “matriculate” also receive a car seat.
The third component is a deep and meaningful connection between north county neighbors. Most of the program volunteers are women who interact regularly on the “Healdsburg Moms” Facebook group, and by working directly with mothers they likely would not meet otherwise; all of the women involved are building bridges and strengthening the bonds within the Healdsburg community.
Tina Rasori, a Healdsburg resident and mother of a 1-year-old daughter, is one of those volunteers. Her jobs: To coordinate donations from supporters and organize the program’s storage unit.
“Even if you’ve have multiple kids, having a baby can be overwhelming,” she said of life as an expecting mom. “Knowing there are people in the community who are willing to share items and knowledge and be there to help make things easier is a huge relief.”
The idea for this program is nothing new; Corazon and Alliance modeled the partnership after initiatives such as the Homeless Prenatal Program in San Francisco.
According to David Lawrence, former chairman and CEO of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals, perinatal care and preparation for birthing can have a huge impact on the health of a baby initially and the long-term prospects of that baby and child as a productive member of society.
“This is an extremely valuable intervention because it goes beyond education and creates a support group, which is known to be more effective to help people adopt new behaviors,” said Lawrence, a resident of Geyserville. “When you have a community that gathers around something like this through a group like Corazon, the chances are that it will endure, which creates the kind of cooperation and sense of camaraderie that contributes to the long term health of the community.”
Optimally, the Moms to Moms program will grow with mothers as their babies do, offering ongoing contextual support for every phase of parenthood up through Kindergarten.
Ariel Kelley, a Healdsburg resident and board member for both Corazon and the local Healthcare Foundation, said the ultimate goals are to help participating families thrive with community support, healthy food options, and educational programs for moms and kids alike.
“The community can play a huge part in this,” she said. “Both now and for years to come.”
The Moms to Moms program accepts donations from anyone, at any time. To buy new items that correspond to a participating mother’s wish list, visit http://gooddler.com/Wishlist/10157. To donate lightly used or new items, call or text Tina Rasori at 619-889-4208.
