More Support for New Moms, Babies and Families
The Department of Health announced more support to help new parents care for their young children today, Nov. 26. Healthy Beginnings is a provincial program designed to make the early days and years with a new baby easier.
Healthy Beginnings will build on existing programs to allow public-health nurses and specially trained community members to offer ongoing home visits for up to three years for families needing more support.
The home visits can provide everything from parenting and breastfeeding support to helping the family access other resources in their community, like child-care, family resource centres or programs for children with special needs.
Premier John Hamm said the program is part of the province's overall plan to help people be healthier by ensuring that all children get the support they need to grow and develop into healthy adults.
"Healthy beginnings make a lasting impression. They can influence many factors throughout life, such as a person's physical, mental and emotional health, their ability to learn and even job prospects," said Premier Hamm. "We want to make sure that every child born in Nova Scotia has a better chance at a bright, healthy future."
Public Health staff contact every family once they arrive home with a new baby to determine their needs and to offer a home visit if the mom, baby or family would benefit from extra support.
"The birth of a baby is a wonderful blessing, but adjusting to a new baby can be a tiring, stressful process, even for experienced parents," said Health Minister Jamie Muir. "For a variety of reasons, some new parents need more support than others, and this program will help them."
Some challenges place an additional burden on families during the early weeks, months and years of a child's life. These challenges might include parenting or breastfeeding concerns, trouble adjusting to a new baby or postpartum depression. It could also include being first-time, older or very young parents, having multiple births or a variety of other social, financial or parenting issues.
Nancy Clarke, a public-health nurse in the Pictou County District Health Authority, said Healthy Beginnings can help all families.
"Raising a child is one of the most important and challenging jobs you can do, but no one delivers a how-to manual when you deliver a baby," said Ms. Clarke, who is also a member of the Healthy Beginnings Steering Committee. "All new parents want to do the best job they can. Now we can give them better service by following up more often and offering them support for longer periods of time if they need it."
Healthy Beginnings is funded through the $2.2-billion federal Early Childhood Development Fund announced in 2001. Nova Scotia's portion is $66 million.
The Department of Health received $10.5 million to enhance its home visiting program by providing district health authorities with funding to hire more public health staff and community, or lay, home visitors over the next four years.
The Department of Community Services received the remaining $55.5 million for quality child-care, parent education and support and early childhood systems development.