support
Mamas on Bedrest: An Interview with OneUnionMom Jenya Cassidy
May 2nd, 2012In this podcast I have the great pleasure to interview Jenya Cassidy, a union advocate and mama. Jenya was amongst the dedicated workers who helped get paid family leave in California in her position with the Labor Project for Working Families in the San Francisco Bay area. Jenya shared a wealth of great information including how to get involved with organizations in your area advocating for paid leave (Family Values at Work) as well as help to obtain paid leave (The Legal Aid Society-The Employment Law Center).
Mamas on Bedrest: Share Your Stories!
April 26th, 2012Today I heard from two mamas who had been on bed rest with their children discuss how sad and lonely and isolated they felt while they had been on bed rest and that these feelings persisted well into their post partums, typically lasting up to one year. Listening to their stories inspired me to begin thinking about how to support mamas on bed rest even more in an effort to stem this tide of potential post partum depression and PTSD.
As I pondered how I would like to go about increasing support to mamas on bed rest, I had the awesome opportunity to attend the second annual spring reception for one of my favorite non-profit organizations, Hand to Hold. The mission of Hand to Hold is,
To provide comprehensive navigation resources and support programs to parents of preemies, babies born with special health care needs and those who have experienced a loss due to these or other complications.
I am a HUGE fan of this organization, as it steps in and provides the support and resources necessary for parents of preemies. I first became involved when I interviewed the founder and executive director Kelli Kelley for an article that I was writing back in 2005. She shared with me then,
I don’t want another mother to go through the pain, isolation, frustration and desperation that I felt when I had my son. (born at 24 weeks and who spent 4 months in the NICU).
Since that day some 7 years ago, Kelli has been on a mission, garnering support and forging ahead with programs and services for parents of preemies.
We have often talked about collaborating to bring much needed services to mamas on bed rest. The time has come. As I looked in awe and admiration at what Kelli has created, I realized that similar programs and services need to be in place for mamas on bed rest. So here we go ladies!
But I want to hear from you. I need your stories and experiences so that I can craft the most perfect and most suitable programs and services for Mamas on Bedrest. When you were on bed rest, what did you most desire? What did you wish you had known? What would you have liked from your health care providers? What did you need when your bed rest journey was over? Share it all and leave no little detail undisclosed. The only way that we can craft the perfect program for mamas on bed rest is to have the crucial input from Mamas on Bedrest. So please share your stories with me. Help me to help other mamas not suffer the isolation, fear and depression that is so prevalent with the bed rest experience. Kelli Kelley has made a HUGE impact in how parents of preemies experience the birth and subsequent lives of their children and we can do the same for Mamas on Bedrest. But it’s going to take your input. Share your experiences in the comments section below and thanks so much for helping me to realize my vision of easing the burden of bed rest.
Mamas on Bedrest: Take Your Baby to Work!
April 20th, 2012
More and more mamas are taking their babies to work thanks in part to the Parenting in the Workplace Institute.
The Parenting in the Workplace Institute was developed after founder Carla Moquin created Babies in the Workplace, a website dedicated to helping companies
“implement successful business programs in which parents can bring their babies to work and care for them while doing their jobs.”
Moquin, a psychologist, had been researching babies in the workplace since 2005. She launched the website in 2007. Since its inception, Babies in the Workplace has helped some 171 companies implement programs that allow parents to bring their babies to work and thus far, 2041 babies have been successfully brought to work.
So why is this program so important?
According to the Parenting in the Workplace Institute, bringing babies to work has these benefits:
- Babies in the workplace tend to be mellow and highly content
- In structured programs work environments include happy babies, parental closeness, social interaction and physical contact, highly responsive care and high rates of breastfeeding
- Happy babies in the workplace lower stress and promote comraderie amongst coworkers
The benefits to companies/employers are:
- Employees return to work earlier
- Employees are more loyal and there are higher rates of employee retention
- There is more teamwork and cooperation
- Employers with the program attract more skilled employees
- Increased morale and productivity
- Lower health costs
- Attract new customers and increase loyalty
- Low implementation costs
This is such a win-win situation. It is amazing that more companies aren’t jumping on the bandwagon to implement such programs. Moquin and her staff have created a very easy to implement program and parents who are interested in presenting the program to their employers can visit the Parenting in the workplace website or better yet, the Babies in the Workplace website which has specific resources on how to approach your employer. The website also has details about how the programs work and how to implement them. Finally, there is the Working with kids blog that shows successful programs and babies in the workplace.
This is an amazing resource and mamas on bed rest, this may be the program you need if you decide to return to work outside the home. Take a look and be sure to share your comments and experiences with us here in our comments section!
