SAN DIEGO -- After almost a month of motherhood, Kim Cantorna is finally getting the hang of caring for her new baby, Marcus. But her first few days home from the hospital were anything but easy.
"As a new mom, you know, I was just not sure that I was doing everything correctly," Cantorna said. "I wanted to make sure that he was gaining weight and he was healthy."
Many new parents face the same fears when they finally bring their brand-new babies home from the hospital. There are so many new experiences and questions. It's easy to get overwhelmed.
That's one reason why Palomar Pomerado Health started the "Welcome Home Baby" program. It sends registered nurses into homes across the North County to check in on new mothers and their babies.
Over several home visits, the nurses assess the health and well-being of the infant and mother. They also answer the new mother's questions, and offer tips on better caring for baby.
"When (the nurse) came out she checked Marcus ... to make sure that his lungs were good and his heartbeat was good, (it) just gave me peace of mind that I was doing a good job and Marcus was healthy," Cantorna said.
The home-visit nurses provide the same education they used to cover while mother and baby were in still the hospital. But with hospitals discharging women within 48 hours of delivery, experts say there just isn't enough time for education. Without it, many new parents get confused about when to seek medical help for their newborn.
"We were seeing more and more of these first time moms coming into the emergency room with just very basic sort of symptoms that they were unsure about," said Annamarie Martinez, nurse manager for "Welcome Home Baby."
"They were having difficulty with ... recognizing what was appropriate to call the doctor for or to be in the emergency room for," she said.
"The real reason why we started this was to make a visit to those people who had gotten no prenatal care, and make sure they had the essentials for their babies," said Dr. David Golembeski, "Welcome Home Baby" medical director.
He said organizers soon realized the program could help all new parents, regardless of their health coverage.
"A lot of these moms just don't have the comfort and support system in place from the extended family to be with them through such a difficult time," Martinez explained.
"Welcome Home Baby" also offers lactation specialists, health educators, and social workers who can make several home visits in the first year.
"Welcome Home Baby" is now in its second year of funding from the
First 5 Commission of San Diego. The commission uses tax revenues from the sale of tobacco products to fund local programs aimed at preparing children to enter kindergarten. These programs help parents raise QKids - Quality Kids -- by focusing on improving their physical, social, and emotional growth.
Martinez said "Welcome Home Baby" has gone a long way to reduce unnecessary hospital visits by new parents. She said the next step is to offer the program countywide.
"I think this program is critically important for the entire county ... and then someday hopefully we'll be able to get those stats of recognition so that it's implemented throughout the state," Martinez said.
You can find out more about "Welcome Home Baby," or get a referral, by calling
(877) 504-BABY.
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