ESCANABA - When it comes to caring for newborns, there may not be a bag of tricks for parents to use, but there is a Welcome Newborns bag that will make parenting much easier.
Thanks to Michigan State University Extension's Welcome Newborns: Help for Healthy Beginnings program, every mother utilizing the birthing facilities at OSF St. Francis Hospital receives a Welcome Newborns tote bag filled with information, gifts and helpful hints for healthy newborns. This invaluable tote is not limited to those giving birth at OSF, though.
According to Lannie Berg, Welcome Newborns coordinator, Dr. Raghu Kasetty, local pediatrician, now distributes the Welcome Newborn bags through his practice at OSF Medical Group. This means area babies who were delivered outside the Escanaba area, but who receive primary pediatric care from Dr. Kasetty, will still benefit from the wealth of information the bags have to offer.
The Welcome Newborns program, a 501 C 3 non-profit program, was established in 1996 to provide Delta County newborns and their families through resources and education. In keeping with its mission, the selection of content items for the tote bags has been well thought out, said Berg.
Each bag contains pacifiers and other little surprises, plus reading information pertaining to parenting, child development, health and safety, immunizations, community resources and local programs. In addition to all this, there is one item in the tote bag that has exceptional value - the HALO SleepSack Swaddle. Introduced just over a year ago, this two-in-one item wraps infants snuggly and doubles as a wearable blanket.
Designed by a parent who lost an infant to SIDS, the SleepSack is used in hospitals nationwide. It allows for the crib to be free of loose blankets, which can cover baby's face and interfere with breathing.
An additional bonus to the SleepSack's design is that it helps babies sleep more soundly and for a longer period of time, simply because they remain snuggly covered throughout the night. There are a host of other ingenious features incorporated into the SleepSack, too, each being clearly listed for parents to read.
Interestingly, use of the SleepSack ties in with one specific item new to the tote bag, which is the DVD "The Happiest Baby on the Block," by Harvey Karp, M.D.
The DVD teaches parents the secrets of keeping their baby happy. Swaddling is an essential element of this practice, thus making the SleepSack an important item to own.
Other advice offered on the DVD includes the list of five methods for triggering the baby's calming reflex (the five Ss). As a bonus, Dr. Karp also teaches parents how to master these helpful how-tos: stop crying, deep calming and prolong sleep, using such simple means as effective calming sounds.
"This DVD is so important for parents to view," said Berg, who said she has received feedback from numerous parents of newborns who said the DVD has made the new parenting process a calm and relaxed experience. This is because their babies are calm and relaxed, she explained.
Berg added that DVDs of "The Happiest Baby on the Block" will be available for short-term loan through the Welcome Newborns lending library at the MSU Extension Office beginning in August.
All this is free with receipt of the Welcome Newborns tote bag. Parents who opt to make an appointment at the Welcome Newborns Office, or who enroll in the Welcome Newborns program by mail or by phone, will receive free monthly newsletters from the time of their baby's birth through his/her third year.
For details, contact MSU Extension Office, 2840 College Ave., Escanaba, MI 49829, or call 786-3032.
