Your Baby and You Classes
Postpartum Support Virginia is pleased to announce that we are working in partnership with the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health, Refugee Behavioral Services to coordinate free workshops for those entering the United States and anyone wanting an introduction to birth and care for the baby and mother postpartum. While there are many needs for individuals and families seeking safety in the US, a pressing and often overlooked need is assisting those who are pregnant or have recently given birth with understanding maternal healthcare and baby care in the United States.
Facing pregnancy, birth, and infant care in a new culture and medical system is an overwhelming and stressful task. Separation from loved ones, language barriers, cultural differences, and lack of cultural competency by healthcare providers create challenges for those giving birth or raising a baby as a new refugee.
This new program is designed to help refugees understand American maternal health systems and child care practices with the goal of helping refugees receive information and support them to make empowered decisions for their family.
Through this new initiative, PSVa will provide informational resources through workshops, and ongoing support in real-time as families make decisions.
We will be hosting a four part series called “Your Baby and You” which will cover:
- The basics of perinatal (pregnancy and postpartum) care in the US;
- Baby care and safety in the US;
- Healing after birth;
- Ways to find community resources.
Workshops will occur on Thursdays at 6:00 PM/1800 on select dates in 2022, and may continue to be offered regularly based on feedback from participants.
We are seeking volunteers to:
- Assist with workshops; and
- Provide social support to individuals and families via WhatsApp as a PSVa service after the workshops.
The workshops will be presented in English with professional simultaneous interpreters provided by the Department of Behavioral Health. Ideally, we would like to find volunteers who speak Farsi, Pushto, Urdu, and other relevant languages to offer social support services via WhatsApp.
This opportunity is a wonderful way to provide immediate assistance to families, with the opportunity to continue to continue to help as families become settled in communities across the State. PSVa will provide you with the training and resources to ensure you feel confident in serving individuals during pregnancy and postpartum with questions about health, baby care, and healing.
The workshops will be presented in English with professional simultaneous interpreters provided by the Department of Behavioral Health. Ideally, we would like to find volunteers who speak Farsi, Pushto, Urdu, and other relevant languages to offer social support services via WhatsApp.
This opportunity is a wonderful way to provide immediate assistance to families, with the opportunity to continue to continue to help as families become settled in communities across the State. PSVa will provide you with the training and resources to ensure you feel confident in serving individuals during pregnancy and postpartum with questions about health, babycare, and healing.
We are also asking for donations for this work — our Annual Fund allows us to quickly launch new projects such as this without waiting for funding to become available. You can support this project by donating HERE.
