By Monique Koerner
Cottonwood Extension District
K-State Research and Extension is pleased to announce they will begin offering a series of free prenatal education sessions in the Ellis County area beginning in February 2025.
These sessions, available free-of-charge to all area families regardless of income or other social determinants, are being provided thanks to a partnership between the Kansas Department of Health and Environment Bureau of Family Health, March of Dimes, HaysMed, First Care Clinic, High Plains Mental Health, Early Childhood Connections, Hays Public Library, Feeding Hays, and Ellis County Emergency Medical Services.
Utilizing the March of Dimes’ Becoming a Mom®/Comenzando bien® curriculum, expectant participants and their support person(s) will learn about topics related to physical and emotional health during pregnancy, as well as receive in-depth education surrounding labor and delivery, infant feeding, infant care, safe sleep, and other hot button parenting issues.
Information about area resources and additional parenting support systems in the community will also be provided.
I have been wanting to bring the program to Ellis County for quite some time and everything has finally come together to begin. I have worked with the Barton County Health Department for over a year helping teach their infant feeding class for Becoming a Mom and have seen first-hand the value in the program.
I’m extremely excited about the amazing instructors and community partners that have come together to make Becoming a Mom a reality here in Ellis County.
For a long time, I have wanted families to have a chance to come together to get to know other parents and offer support to one another. We had talked about some type of mentorship program for parents at our local Ellis County Breastfeeding Coalition meeting and felt like Becoming a Mom classes were an opportunity for parents to do this.
My other goal for the program is to bring resources to parents and have community partners that work with expectant parents or young families at each meeting. I’m hoping by providing the opportunity for parents to get to know the people that deliver these services in our community, that it is easier for them to reach out when they need those services.
Becoming a Mom will hopefully lead to improved pregnancy and birth outcomes for moms and babies in the Ellis county area, just as they have across many locations in Kansas.
Since 2010, evaluation efforts for the Becoming a Mom® program, according to the Kansas Perinatal Community Collaborative model, have been overwhelmingly positive. Outcomes have shown significant improvement in rates of preterm birth, low birth weight, breastfeeding initiation, and lower cesarean rates.
All area pregnant women are encouraged to attend, regardless of past experience with pregnancy or parenting. Incentives for participation will be provided thanks to grants made available through Midwest Energy and Heartland Community Foundation.
Mothers, fathers, and support people are invited to attend each class. You can choose which classes you want to attend but you earn bigger incentives (portable crib or infant playmat) for attending 4 out of the 6 classes. If you are from outside of Ellis County and are interested in attending, please contact Monique for availability.
Limited childcare will be available, and we will also have a free meal provided by Feeding Hays.
To obtain a schedule of class dates or to register for sessions, please contact Monique at Cottonwood Extension District by emailing/calling at [email protected] or 785-628-9430. You can also find Ellis County Becoming a Mom program on the Web at https://cottonwood.k-state.edu/becoming-a-mom/ and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ksrecottonwood.
Partipicants in Barton County can call the Barton County Health Department at 620-793-1902 to inquire about classes. A new series of classes will begin in April 2025. If you are interested in classes that began in January, reach out to see which classes are still available.
Monique Koerner is the Family and Community Wellness Agent with K-State Research and Extension Cottonwood District. You may reach her at 785-628-9430 or [email protected].
