MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Ohio (WDTN) – Baby Alaya has come a long way since she was born seven weeks prematurely six months ago, but so has her mom.
“I was nervous because I didn’t know how to hold her,” says Miel Paschal. “I didn’t know what to do.”
Now mother and baby are both improving thanks in part to Help Me Grow’s Brighter Future’s program.
The program allows nurses to do in-home visits every two weeks with 150 low-income, first-time moms.
“Part of what the nurses do is work with the moms to not just be a good parent but to be a parent who can support their child,” says Cheri Davis, who coordinates Brighter Futures.
2 News got to go along on a visit to see what it’s like.
Nurse Jessica Winkler didn’t just ask how the baby was doing, but got to see it firsthand.
She went through a questionare that’s sort of like a baby SAT to make sure Alaya is developing like she should be.
Alaya passed in all areas.
Groups like Shepherding the Next Generation say the in-home visits are shown to reduce cases of child abuse, but as with any program, getting funding hasn’t been easy. …More.