If you are a fan of the popular PBS series Call the Midwife, you probably already know what “perinatal” means. In that period drama about a poor community in London in the years after World War II, viewers are treated to the drama and joy of a cast of midwives and nuns as they help women deliver babies in all kinds of circumstances.
Times have changed in London and here in Greene County since the 1950’s and 60’s, and “perinatal” care – all the services, tests, and check ups that surround pregnancy – has progressed tremendously. Unfortunately, that hasn’t stopped our community and our state from dealing with a relatively high infant mortality rate. Lots of things contribute to that, and the Hospital’s Sweet Dreams Baby Bundles program is helping mammas and babies prevent complications during and after pregnancy.
That was the message our OB Director, Anna Telligman, and Foundation Director Kyle Cross brought to the PEP Rally – a Perinatal Conference – at the University of Southern Indiana. They traveled to Evansville to showcase the Baby Bundles program to students and staff and show them how a small rural hospital is making big changes that are lowering infant mortality rates. This program offers incentives to expecting mothers to get prenatal care and work with OB nurses to learn safe sleep practices, how to quit smoking, and the benefits of breast-feeding, among other things. The program includes assistance from our Internationally Certified Lactation Consultant, Tracy Blanton, RN, as well as other postnatal care services. Baby Bundles mammas receive a Pack-n-Play, a handmade diaper bag, and a load of supplies for baby’s first months.
Download Sweet Dreams Baby Bundles applications HERE, on our OB Services page, or if you have questions, contact Anna at anna.telligman@mygcgh.org. And if you’re not a fan of Call the Midwife (we’re not sure if Anna is willing to help you with that), your Netflix account should get you hooked in no time.
