Respect
Sandra is a private person who was raised in a different culture. She has visited several times because she appreciates the confidentiality and the way we treat all women respectfully here. She suffered a miscarriage last year and has told us this is the one place she feels comfortable talking about her loss.
Relief from Pain
Louella is three weeks from her due date and she is especially thankful for being introduced to the birthing ball.” The exercises she learned in class helped her lower back pain, which is a major sore spot for her right now. She also plans on using the birthing ball during labor.
Empowerment & Adaptability
Gretchen and Benny were introduced to labor-comfort techniques like counter pressure, massage and body positioning at our birthing class. Gretchen says she felt totally supported by Benny because he knew what was going on and was able to help her through her pain. Gretchen’s labor was induced and the contractions came on very quickly. There was no time for Benny to be learning, but that was okay because Benny knew what to do.
Gretchen said, “The birthing class is an awesome resource that you provide.” One of the most important pieces of advice that she received here is that labor might not go as you plan, and you have to adapt. Some of their plans were changed when she needed to be induced, but they were ready as a team to work through that.
Better Nutrition
Juanita went to the Cooking Class in Spanish with Lucy Lores from Oregon State Extension Services. Juanita enjoyed coming with her sister-in-law after they dropped the older kids off at school. Juanita’s two kids also came with her, which she appreciated because her youngest still breastfeeds. In the class they discussed nutrition and food quality and also prepared different recipes. Juanita and her sister-in-law often prepare a salad which they learned in this class, and she says the whole family likes it.
Style and a New Attitude
“The last couple weeks before my baby was born I got huge and nothing fit anymore,” said Sara. She couldn’t spend money on clothes she would only need for a short time, so she appreciated getting some nice things to wear before the baby was due. The maternity clothes she found at Mother & Child were very cute. She says they “really cheered me up and made me feel new.”
Circle of Sharing
Tiara borrowed some books from Mother & Child. She was happy to have some new information before birthing time. She has told us she will bring the books back when she is finished with them because she likes the kind of sharing attitude we have here.
Mutual Support
The infant massage workshop at Second Saturday was a unique opportunity for mothers of infants and expecting moms to interact. The pregnant mothers couldn’t help but stop to see the infant massage activity and listen to the questions other mothers were asking. Some of the best interactions at Mother and Child happen this way—one mother giving practical advice and emotional support to another.
*Names have been changed to maintain privacy of our clients.