Healthy Beginnings for Moms to provide prenatal support to expecting mothers

The Foundation for a Healthier West Orange will host its first one-stop shop to connect moms with doctors and midwives, counselors and other necessary resources for healthy, long-term pregnancies. 

Healthy Beginnings for Moms will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 18, at 1200 E. Plant St., Winter Garden. Expecting mothers will receive care regardless of health insurance, financial situation or living environment. 

It will provide prenatal support and resources to soon-to-be moms who might not otherwise be able to afford care. 

Women also can receive essential items putting them in a better situation than when they arrived.

“Having a healthy pregnancy is the first step to a healthy birth and newborn,” said Dorcas Dillard, HUBB community resource specialist at Foundation for a Healthier West Orange. “We want to make sure that we’re moving that needle in the right direction. … We will be very supportive and it’s going to be a stress-free environment.”

According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s County Health Rankings, Orange County has a low birthweight rate of 9%, which exceeds the national average of 8.5%. 

Low birthweights are under 5 pounds, 8 ounces and can be caused due to a variety of reasons, such as inadequate prenatal care and nutrition, maternal stress, preterm births and more. 

It also is a public-health indicator that can be used to assess maternal health, nutrition, poverty and health care delivery. 

According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, infants born with low birthweight have about 20 times greater chance of dying than those not underweight. 

Infants who survive could face adverse health outcomes such as lower IQ, decreased growth, chronic conditions and impaired language development. 

With its mission to make West Orange County the healthiest county in the nation, the Foundation for a Healthier West Orange created the Healthy Beginnings for Moms event to help moms have safer pregnancies and healthier babies.

Partners such as the Central Florida Diaper Bank, Abbott Health, Orlando Health and Commonsense Childbirth School of Midwifery will be available to assist moms.

“We are doing this because we don’t want people to go through their pregnancy and not have care upfront, and then at the end of the process, there could be an issue,” Dillard said. “We want them to get prenatal vitamins, we want them to get with a doctor as early in the process as possible, so that if there’s anything the doctor has to look at or the midwife has to look at, they can do that. It’s best to find out right from the beginning.” 

Prenatal care not only is key for the development of the baby but also for the mother. 

“If you don’t have early prevention for some reason, you don’t know that you might be a high-risk pregnancy,” Dillard said. “If the doctor or midwife knows up front that there may be issues because of your health (conditions) like high-blood pressure, diabetes, they can help you through the process.” 

The goal of this event is to provide mothers with prenatal care and resources for a healthy baby and mom alike. 

“Prenatal care is key,” Dillard said. “It’s important to know where to turn to to get care and resources and who you can talk to to make sure that you have prenatal care ahead of time.” 

Although the event will take place in Winter Garden, all are welcome. 

“We will not turn anyone away,” she said. “We want to be a place where they feel comfortable and we can help them get started.”