Brattleboro Memorial Hospital - New Moms Network

Overview

The New Moms Network is a free service of the Brattleboro Memorial Hospital (BMH) Birthing Center. Moms meet weekly for 1.5 hours; programs range from handling a crying baby to immunizations to fire safety. New moms network and support each other, with community experts providing education each week. Dads are also welcome, as are babies, who need not have been born at BMH to attend.

Impact

About 12 to 15 mothers from three states attend weekly with their babies. Breastfeeding rates have exceeded Healthy People 2010 goals; area maternal child programs thrive with added exposure to their programs.

Challenges/success factors

Rural mothers often experience isolation. BMH chose to reach out as a part of their women’s health initiative, which includes education and resources for women throughout their lifespan. Since its conference rooms are in constant demand for both in-house and public meetings, the program’s first years were in a small lounge between the Birthing Center and the surgical floor of the hospital. During renovations, they have been moved to various areas around the hospital and have needed to change the meeting time. Somehow, moms find them no matter where they are. Today, moms can find out where the program is and what’s going on at New Moms Network on www.bmhvt.org or on the Brattleboro New Moms Facebook page. Lamaze students are members of groups on the Giving Birth with Confidence web site; they are able to keep up to date with one another easily.

Future direction/sustainability

The perinatal educator runs New Moms programs as a part of her job description. In a small hospital, there is the opportunity and need for even specialists to be generalists. The hospital has been able to keep a finger on the pulse of this important part of the community by welcoming these mothers into the hospital. They stop in the Birthing Center to say hello when they are bringing family members for care in other parts of the hospital, considering themselves a part of the BMH community. In an area where there are choices for which direction to drive for care, the welcoming services of the Birthing Center have helped to draw business to other parts of the hospital as well.

Although the group is inherently informal, with mothers and babies most often interacting in a circle on the floor, digital technology is making it easier to bring the world to Brattleboro. They will be installing a projector with online access for more formal presentations (for example, Vermont Department of Health immunization information) and the ability to use online resources such as great videos about infant developmental and emotional growth.

Advice to others

Many women who attend this group say, “I'm just not the support group type, but I love this group.” To attract new moms in the area, interesting educational topics are a great lure, for example: Autism is so scary – how do I know if my baby is at risk? Are my feelings about my baby normal? What’s the best way to start solids? How do I get my body back in shape?

New Moms Network has brought experts from many disciplines and many local agencies into the hospital. They discovered a wealth of generous professionals and local agencies at the local Maternal Child Health Coalition meetings. Hospitals that would like to start programs in other states may find these resources under other names – Healthy Start Coalition, Better Beginnings, etc.

Contact: Dawn Kersula, MA, RN, IBCLC
Perinatal Specialist, The Birthing Center
Telephone: 802-257-8278
E-mail: dkersula@bmhvt.org