By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Each year, about 1,200 babies are born to Wood County residents. Bringing home those bundles of joy – while full of anticipation and excitement – can also be full of anxiety and questions.
Are newborns supposed to cry so much? Are they eating enough? Who knew such a little person could cause such a big disruption to life?
To help new parents, a program called Family Connects Ohio is offering free registered nurse home visits to families within the first three weeks of a new baby coming home. Wood County Health Department has four public health nurses ready to make those purely helpful, non-judgmental visits to new babies, according to Leslie Madaras, nursing supervisor of health promotion and prevention at the health department.
“It’s a highly vulnerable time. Families are exhausted, there’s a lot of self-doubt. Just to have that validation and support is nice,” Madaras said.
Unlike other home visiting programs, this is not based on income qualifications or health insurance status – it is offered to any new parents. The rationale is that all families have needs around the birth of a child, family needs are not limited to those with demographic risk factors, and the data generated with a universal program provides important information.
That inclusive criteria also helps get rid of any stigma that might be attached to the home visits, Madaras said.
“The goal of the program is to help families with newborns feel supported, connected and cared for as they navigate parenthood,” she said. “It’s for everyone.”
Though Wood County Health Department just started its Family Connects program in March, Madaras said data collected from other Family Connects programs have shown impressive benefits, such as:
- 39% reduction in Child Protective Services investigations.
- 33% reduction in emergency room visits.
- 30% reduction in postpartum and depression.
- 94% increase in connections to health resources.
The registered nurses can assist parents with feeding support, maternal recovery, emotional well-being, and questions about sleep and routines. Parents often have questions about “what’s normal” crying for an infant, Madaras said. The visiting nurses can walk families through the five “S”s for soothing crying babies: swaddling, placing on side or stomach position, shushing, swinging or providing the baby with something to suck.
Referrals to other resources can be made, as well as follow-up phone calls, and even items such as cribs.
Ultimately, the goals of Family Connects Ohio include:
- Ensure infants reach their first birthday by decreasing infant mortality.
- Ensure children are ready for kindergarten by increasing kindergarten readiness assessment scores.
- Ensure children remain in environments that are familiar and safe by decreasing the number of children and youth entering the foster care system.
The visits are completely voluntary. The health department is working with area hospitals to be notified when newborns from Wood County are discharged to go home. Once they get the referral, a nurse from the health department will call new parents to set up a time for a home visit.
The only criteria is that the family lives in Wood County. They don’t have to speak English. They don’t have to be documented. They just have to be parents of a newborn.
Madaras said she is hopeful that new parents are made aware of the free visits as it becomes more routine for hospitals to reach out after newborns are discharged.
“Our goal is to reach 70% of them,” between 14 and 34 days old, she said. “We are eager to get this out in our community.”
Parents who would like a nurse visit may call Madaras at 419-354-2705.
