CenteringParenting: Care for Mother and Baby During the Postpartum Year

The postpartum year for most women is one of challenge. Maternal changes, physical and emotional, often are ignored due to the more pressing demands of a new infant and reorganization of the family unit. Women's issues include: nutrition, support for breastfeeding, weight management, stress management, contraception, exercise, possible depression, and family stresses that may include violence. Woven into this are the baby's needs that include eating, sleeping, support for healthy developmental, and attachment. CenteringParenting is a group model that provides care to both the mother and baby within the group setting, and allows time for interactive education/sharing and community building among a stable cohort of 5-7 mother/baby dyads. These parents and babies meet together for 9 sessions throughout the first year of life; many of the groups continue from CenteringPregnancy. Data will be shared from an evaluative study of 91 mother/baby dyads followed for at least 9 months, compared to 76 dyads in the traditional care comparison group, followed for at least 6 months. The collected data responded to four identified areas: healthy babies, healthy moms, maternal efficacy and confidence in parenting skills, and mother-infant bonding. Reassuring outcomes for CenteringParenting dyads include: better attendance, more robust breastfeeding, better maternal weight management, and improved depression screening and treatment. Additional comments from women include the importance of community building, gaining increased confidence in caring for themselves and their baby, and bonding with their baby. Successful passage through this year strengthens the entire family and helps prepare the mother for future childbearing decisions.