Jackie thought she was ready for the arrival of her first baby. She'd taken birthing classes, prenatal yoga, and a breastfeeding class. The nursery was ready and stocked with all the supplies that the online parenting sites claimed were essential. She thought she was prepared, but she didn't feel at all prepared for what it felt like to leave the safety of the hospital, where nurses and medical experts were just a button push away.
“Everyone kept asking me how we were doing, but I just said ‘fine’. I didn't want to admit out loud that we had no idea what we were doing, and were completely overwhelmed.”
Shortly after Jackie and her partner returned home, the phone rang. In 1999, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center launched the Parent Connection, a free postpartum follow-up service in the Department of OB/GYN as a way to support parents in the adjustment to first time parenthood. Trained, mentoring mom volunteers are paired with new parents and provide weekly phone call support through the first twelve weeks after delivery. New parents have the opportunity to share their questions, joys, and challenges with someone who is there to support them through this major life transition of becoming a parent.
"My mentor was great. She was honest, funny and provided great insight on motherhood. I was hearing lots of opinions and reading expert's advice on what I should be doing, but it was so helpful to have someone that would listen to me, and help me determine what was right for my family. It was also just great to know that every Monday we'd have a phone date, sometimes my only social contact during those long stretches when my partner was at work, and I was home alone with my baby."
In addition to the Mentoring Moms service, the Parent Connection also offers new moms groups where moms can come together with their baby and meet other new moms, and ask questions. Groups meet in Chestnut Hill, Lexington and Dedham. The program even offers a group specifically for working moms that meets during evening hours in Needham.
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Having a baby is a wonderful, amazing and at times overwhelming experience. At Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, we are committed to caring for our patients from the start of pregnancy through the transition to parenting.
For more information about the Parent Connection or about having a baby at BIDMC, go to www.bidmc.org.