Meet Terryiah. In late 2022, Terryiah was in the process of making positive life changes—she had recently undergone surgery to help maintain a healthy weight. She was surprised and nervous to find herself pregnant with her first child. She and her partner, Felix IV, were excited to start their family, and Terryiah was determined to do all she could to have a healthy pregnancy.
Meet Latasha. In the spring of 2021, Latasha connected with Healthier Moms and Babies. She says, “I was excited and anxious because I didn't know what to expect.” She turned to Healthier Moms and Babies to help navigate her pregnancy, community resources, and her healthy future for her family.
Meet Melody. After experiencing complications and loss with a previous pregnancy, Melody was terrified to find herself pregnant in June of 2022. She was connected with Healthier Moms and Babies at a WIC appointment; Melody says, “I was just hoping for a little assistance from Healthier Moms and Babies, but I ended up with so much more.”
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.
We all have biases that affect all aspects of our lives. They can also affect the lives of others with whom we interact. Not every bias is harmful or hurtful. However, implicit biases –biases that we do not recognize- may lead to decisions or practices in life and at work that can lead to harmful outcomes. Whether bad or good, justified or unjustified, our beliefs and attitudes can automatically trigger our behavior and decision-making. It can happen unintentionally, unconsciously, without effort, and in a matter of seconds. Research and media reports highlight that implicit bias can negatively affect patient medical care.
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
