The Prenatal Resource Program connects expectant mothers with our specialists to help identify community resources (prenatal and postnatal) for their family’s specific needs and interests.
Prenatal Resources for Expectant Mothers
Who is this program for?
Anyone on the Peninsula who is expecting!
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What is the program's impact?
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Healthier pregnancies and healthier children
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Better birth outcomes
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More-prepared parents
What resources do we connect families with?
Car Seat
Program
Affordable Child Care
Breastfeeding Support
One-on-One Support
Infant Supplies Donation
Mental Health & Substance Help
Food &
Other Aid
Parent Education Resources
How did the program get started?
Our community partners were concerned that many pregnant women in the area were only connected with family services after giving birth, so in 2011 we partnered with Hampton/Newport News Healthy Families to create a one-stop shop for prenatal resources.
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What makes this program impactful?
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When a mother is healthy and ready to parent, their child grows up healthy and ready to succeed in school and in life. The resources we provide ensure that mothers are prepared.
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We're not a service provider—instead, we impartially connect families to services.
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We have the most up-to-date information on available community resources.
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We're a one-stop shop for prenatal resources.
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Darlene's Story
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Darlene M remembers exactly when she first connected with Smart Beginnings. It was 2015, when her daughter was born. She was referred to Hampton Healthy Families Partnership (a state-funded nonprofit) and a home visitor named Tiffany Slater.
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Slater worked with the family during every milestone of her child’s first six years, said Darlene.
“Each week, she would come into our home, and we would have conversations about things—SIDS, the proper way of putting our child to bed, when my child will be ready to walk, so many topics. What it really came down to was this was huge emotional support for our family. It’s nice to have someone unrelated to me who is constantly encouraging.’”
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“We get as many patients to consent to the Smart Beginnings prenatal screening on their first visit as we can,” added Taylor Harrison, the clinical coordinator at Riverside Partners in Women’s Health. “We explain to them that Smart Beginnings is a community hub for all sorts of resources—for getting a car seat, Medicaid, transportation needs, classes for new moms, and a lot more. We see the patients first, and then refer them to Smart Beginnings. Because Smart Beginnings has information about so many kinds of services, that takes the burden off of us to provide those resources.” Harrison said Smart Beginnings often serves local families that are financially stressed, as well as military families, whose support systems may be limited.
Almost six years after her initial call with Smart Beginnings, Darlene has advice for expecting moms who are looking for more information:
“I would tell them to talk to Smart Beginnings. I have advocated to anyone who will listen to me—utilize it as a resource. If you want someone who will give you the clarity you need and credible information, this is the way to go.”
Program Spotlight
Hampton Roads Physician Magazine
Spring 2021
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Our prenatal program was featured in this regional publication, highlighting our screening process and the difference we're making for babies and their families.
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Program Partners
Special thanks to these community organizations who help make this program possible.
