One of the important ABCs of safe sleep is putting your baby to sleep in a crib or on another hard surface. Here are a few tips to keep your crib a safe sleeping space for your precious baby: Make sure there are no gaps larger than two fingers between the sides of the crib …
Why Smoking During Pregnancy is Not Safe
Question: Do you know what the most commonly used substance during pregnancy is? Answer: Nicotine. If you are pregnant and still smoking, here are a few reasons why you should try to quit: Smoking during pregnancy can cause tissue damage in the unborn baby, particularly in the lungs and brain. Some studies suggest a link …
Postpartum Care: Taking Care of Yourself
The baby is here. You survived childbirth. You’re a mom! Congratulations! How do you feel? That’s a bit of a loaded question. Just when you thought your body was all yours and about to get back to normal again, you wake up the morning after and realize you’re sore everywhere. From disrupted sleep to getting …
Be a Champion for Your Own Birth Experience
Having a positive and healthy labor and delivery experience can be empowering, helping set the stage for a joyous and vibrant postpartum period for new moms. You can be a champion for your own birth experience by being informed, prepared, and creating a plan. Below are some common procedures during labor and childbirth. Collecting knowldge …
Grantee Spotlight: Parents as Teachers in Stoddard County
The Dexter/Richland/Bloomfield Parents as Teachers organization provides information, support, and encouragement to parents as they help their children develop optimally during the crucial early years. Bootheel Babies and Families recently awarded them a $35,000 grant that will help expand the program. Melanie Stoelting, a coordinator with PAT, shares her thoughts on how her organization and …
Staff Profile: Rachelle Bennett
How did you get involved with Bootheel Babies and Families? My degree is in nursing, and I worked at Southeast Medical Center starting in 2011. I started working part time at the Regional Healthcare Foundation in 2015, which is where I was introduced to BBF and the infant mortality initiative. I personally was a participant …
Regional Partner Spotlight: Kaitlyn Kimball
We are excited to introduce you to Kaitlyn Kimball, on of our regional contacts working at the New Madrid County Resource Center. Kaitlyn has worked side by side with Bootheel Babies & Families to provide constant communication on how we can better serve families and infants in our area. We asked Kaitlyn a few questions …
Regional Spotlight: Rachelle Bennett
We’re sharing all the things we have to be thankful for during November! Rachelle Bennett is our regional hub partner serving Stoddard County at the Dexter Community Regional Healthcare Foundation. Why are you thankful for the work BBF does? I’m thankful for the focused data collection BBF does to identify causes of infant deaths and …
Regional Partner Spotlight: Sara Pierce
Say hello to Sara Pierce! Sara is one of our regional contacts who works for the Scott County, SMSU Sikeston Campus office. Which positive outcomes that BBF is responsible for that make you most proud? I am so proud of the conversations that are continuing in the bootheel surrounding infant mortality. We have been able …