Published: July 24, 2008 10:44 pm      

Healthy outcomes

State agency works to help moms have healthy babies

A baby born healthy wasn’t gaining weight properly during the first months of life, despite the fact the mother was preparing the formula exactly by what she thought was the correct method and feeding the baby regularly.

A registered nurse making a home visit as part of her job with the Right From the Start program spotted the cause of the baby’s failure to grow properly. The mother was mistakenly diluting the formula.

“Those are the fine details our nurses and social workers are trained to look for when they go into these homes,” said Jeannie Clark, director of perinatal programs with the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources. “Finding this formula error may have saved that baby’s life. Once the mother was able to mix the formula correctly, the baby did fine.”

The major mission of this state program is to begin working with pregnant moms and provide services that will help them achieve healthier birth outcomes.

In-home case management helps Right From the Start workers identify situations that need attention. The mom may be a smoker who can benefit from a smoking cessation program. She may not be following through with regular prenatal visits. She may need education about prenatal and infant development.

“We are not there to take people’s children away. We are there to help families know how to care for them properly,” said Brenda Johnson, an RN who is regional care coordinator for Region I. “Our workers build a rapport with the family and offer on-going support from the prenatal phase through the first year of the baby’s life.”

In order to provide those services, the agency needs ongoing help. Area churches, civic groups and organizations can help by providing donations of baby clothes, diapers, toys, baby wipes, formula, baby bottles, baby beds, bassinets and other infant supplies.

“It really helps if the workers have something they can take with them, especially on the first visit,” said Devin Coleman, designated care coordinator at Burlington United Methodist Family Services in Beckley. “It helps to build a bond between the worker and the mom, and lets them know our workers are there to help them.”

Groups that provide regular collections of needed items can call Johnson and arrange for agency representatives to pick them up.

“If there are churches or groups that wan to to collect items on an ongoing basis, they can call me, and we’ll schedule regular times to pick those items up,” Johnson said.

For more information, call 1-800-642-8522 and ask for Right from the Start or call Johnson at 304-323-8398.

— E-mail:

bdavis@register-herald.com