After celebrating Mother’s Day and spending a ton of time with my family, I can’t help but spend more time thinking of moms everywhere today. As a result of COVID-19, our lives have undoubtedly changed and that also means that the birthing experience has too. I was reading a post on one of my favorite blogs, Hello My Tribe, and the writer (Alex Winkelman) pointed out some very straightforward points about what postpartum life looks like now.
Before all of this happened, we were blessed with the excitement of bringing our babies home and having family and friends visit us for comfort. I say blessed, because maternal health sadly isn’t equal across the globe, but I’m working towards that. Still, so many of us moms had no clue what we were doing upon leaving the hospital, yet we had a ton of support to lean on.
Now, we don’t have the privilege of having those gatherings and introducing our babies to our loved ones, and a lot of moms might be feeling a little lost. The postpartum period is super, super delicate for new moms and all parents are constantly left with questions about the journey. I think that one of the silver linings to come out of all of this is seeing so many people come together to help one another. Thankfully, new moms are getting the support they need and answers to the questions they have through some new initiatives, and I’m sure we’ll see a lot more of these.
In the blog post mentioned above, it’s highlighted that several organizations in Texas are providing new mothers with professional healthcare services at home. A single visit from a nurse or doctor can really help clear up any confusion and ease any anxiety that new parents are feeling upon bringing their babies home. United for Greater Austin, Austin Public Health, and Family Connects Texas are just a few of the partners and programs that have set out to help these families.
Alex also points out some very promising statistics, including 50% less infant emergency medical care at 12 months, 28% less likely to report symptoms of maternal anxiety, and 39% fewer CPS investigations at five years. Since right now is all about supporting our communities, I’m happy to spread the word about initiatives like this and I hope you do too!
For those of you who aren’t in Texas, the Family Connects program currently offers services in 11 states. Let’s use this time to encourage other states to get involved in helping new parents raise their babies safely. You can read more about all of this here.
