APRIL 2017 NEWSLETTER


Monthly Program Participant Reports 
April is Alcohol Awareness Month
April is Alcohol Awareness Month. To highlight this, the Perinatal Programs took to The MotherPod!

The MotherPod is a podcast from the Wisconsin Women's Health Foundation, designed by moms, for moms, to create conversations focused on staying healthy through the journey of motherhood. 

Episode 5 features WWHF's Perinatal Programs Coordinator, Chelsea Tibbetts, as she talks about the stigmas surrounding women who need sup port to quit alcohol during pregnancy. We are excited to share the awesome work our My Baby and Me program does throughout the state and explore the truths of alcohol and pregnancy. 

To listen to current and previous episodes, visit our web page or find The MotherPod on itunes or Soundcloud.
 
Kayla Thomas & Chelsea Tibbetts record Episode 5 of The MotherPod.

Annual Statewide Meeting Videos
On  Thursday, March 2nd  we held our  2017 Annual Statewide Meeting:  "Short-Term Change to Life-Long Success" .

This year's meeting was held at  Stoney Creek Hotel & Conference Center in Rothschil d and attended by over 65 First Breath/My Baby & Me providers. The event featured several guest speakers who focused on strategies for fostering long-term behavior change. 

Thank you to everyone who joined us! 

Not able to make it? 
Video recordings of the sessions are available below!






Video Presentations:
  • Welcome, Program Updates and Results- Chelsea Tibbetts, CHES, CTTS
  • Opening Keynote: "Six Ways Participants Irrationally Fail to Choose Wellness - And What You Can Do About It"- Dr. John Weaver, Psy. D.
  • Morning Panel Session: "My Baby & Me Survey: Results, Comparisons & Contrasts"-  Rebecca Diener, Wendy Seegers, MA, LCSW & Julia Sherman
  • Afternoon Session: "Understanding Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and the Journey to Becoming More Trauma Informed"- Robin Matthies, MSW
  • Final Session: "Provider Walkabout: Taking Perinatal Tobacco Programming to the Next Level"- Kristine Alaniz, MPH 
2017 Regional Practice Sessions- Save The Date!
Our 2017 Perinatal Program Regional Practice Sessions (RPS) will take place this fall in Madison, West Allis, Green Bay, Eau Claire, and Hayward, from 10:00am-2:30pm. The focus of this year's sessions will be on 'resiliency', and the role which it plays in First Breath/My Baby & Me programming. 
 
Further information & registration will be coming soon, but for now... please "Save The Date"!
  • Madison- Monday, 10/2/17
    • Location: Lussier Community Education Center
    • Address: 55 S. Gammon Rd, Madison, WI 53717 
  • West Allis- Friday, 10/6/17
    • Location: Children's Hospital of Wisconsin- Summit Place
    • Address: 6737 W. Washington St, West Allis, WI 53214
  • Green Bay- Monday, 10/9/17
    • Location: Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC)
    • Address: 2740 W. Mason St, Green Bay, WI 54307
  • Eau Claire- Wednesday, 10/11/17
    • Location: Eau Claire City-County Health Department
    • Address: 720 2nd Ave, Eau Claire, WI 54703
  • Hayward- Thursday, 10/12/16
    • Location: Comfort Suites
    • Address: 15586 Co Rd B, Hayward, WI 54843
My Baby & Me Spotlight 
Each month, we will highlight the wonderful work being done through our My Baby & Me Program's Pregnancy Educator, Rebecca.

March Spotlight: 
73% of women enrolled in My Baby & Me report "support" as being one of the primary benefits of program participation. My Baby & Me supports women with their individual goals through:

  • prenatal alcohol use education
  • text messaging 
  • phone calls with our Pregnancy Educator 
"I had a participant who had been drinking during the earlier stages of her pregnancy, she was not enrolled in the program at that time. Once she enrolled in the program, we were able to have multiple conversations about her children being her priority and keeping the children in her custody was her top priority. She was able to quit drinking and remain quit through the remainder of the pregnancy as well as after delivery of her baby."
- Rebecca, MBM Pregnancy Educator
Care For You 
Journaling for Stress Reduction & Self-Care 

Think back to the beginning of April, which was kicked off by April Fools Day- a day entirely designated to folly and practical  jokes . Does the thought of being on the receiving end of a prank make you uneasy? Does the anticipation make your palms a little sweaty? Does your heart beat faster?

That feeling is anxiety- your body's natural reaction to stressful, hazardous, or unfamiliar situations. It's a survival instinct, which prepares your body for a "fight or flight" response. Anxiety is most commonly caused by stress and outside forces, but it's possible to make ourselves anxious as well.  This month's journaling exercise will provide tips to help you reduce and manage your anxiety.

**Please note that these are things you can do FOR you, BY you. They are not meant to replace any advice or help you may be receiving from a professional if you struggle with an anxiety disorder.

Looking for more information? 
Postpone Your Worry - Centre for Clinical Interventions
Progressive Muscle Relaxation - PsychologyTools.com

Helping Wisconsin women and their families 
reach their healthiest potential 
WWHF | 2503 Todd Drive, Madison WI, 53713 | wwhf.org | 608-251-1675