Meet Alexiea. Alexiea’s journey to motherhood was profoundly shaped by the support of Healthier Moms and Babies Doula Services. Referred at 27 weeks pregnant, she sought a natural birth but felt overwhelmed as a first-time mom. The Nurse Home Visiting Program provided essential education on pregnancy, safe sleep, and infant care, giving her the confidence she needed. However, it was the introduction of a doula that truly empowered her to believe the birth plan she wanted was possible. Her doula guided her through labor preparation, equipping her with pain management techniques and emotional reassurance. This support was crucial in helping Alexiea stay focused and in control of her birth plan.
Read more about her story.
Meet Alejandra. Alejandra, a first-time mother, was referred to Healthier Moms and Babies after discovering she was pregnant with twins. Facing a high-risk pregnancy, financial stress, and uncertainty about motherhood, she sought support to navigate this new chapter in her life. Through Healthier Moms and Babies, Alejandra connected with her Family Advocate, Erika, who provided critical education on nutrition, monitoring blood pressure for complications, and preparing for life with twins.
Read more about her story.
Meet Victoria. Victoria was at a turning point in her life, balancing a move with her partner, job loss, and college, when she discovered Healthier Moms and Babies’ Own Your Journey program during a class presentation. Though not yet ready for motherhood, she connected with the program’s focus on physical and mental well-being, finding support through therapy, group sessions, and career resources. Despite facing emotional challenges, including a pregnancy loss, Victoria leaned on the program and her therapist to heal. She is now expecting a healthy baby, nearly finished with her degree, and working in a field that brings her purpose, all thanks to the guidance, support, and empowerment she found through Own Your Journey and the Nurse-Family Partnership.
Read more about her story.
November is Prematurity Awareness Month, a time to focus global attention on the critical challenges of maternal and infant health—challenges that are especially pressing in our community. In Allen County, 1 in 10 babies are born prematurely each year. This statistic stresses the urgent need for awareness, intervention, and systemic change to protect the health of mothers and their babies.
It’s been 30 years since the American Academy of Pediatrics released new recommendations calling for a change in infant sleep practice. Discovering that infants sleep safest when alone, on their back, on a firm sleep surface (crib), the “ABCs” of safe sleep became a shining model of a successful public health campaign as infant sleep deaths declined for 10 straight years to record lows
We are Life-Long Learners. When we decided to become physicians we made an unspoken promise to continue to learn—to do otherwise is to fail our patients. Every time we step into a patient’s exam room we silently promise that we are providing them with the best knowledge we have.
