In The News

BABYNET COMES TO TOWN!

By: Shelia Catlett, ARNP, MSN, RN, IBCLC and the Baby Net Coalition

DID YOU KNOW that your local newspaper will publish a weekly article this year with information on topics related to improving health during pregnancy, growing healthy babies, breastfeeding and many other topics of interest for families with children?  That’s right! The articles will feature a different topic of interest that members will take turns writing. Currently, 26 members belong to the BabyNet Coalition, a network of professionals working together to improve the health of mothers, babies and families in South Central Kentucky.

The BabyNet Coalition was formed in July 2006, when a group of professionals met to discuss the need for change in our community. Many of us felt that professionals and young families in our ten county region of South Central Kentucky, had needs that were consistently not being met.

Coming together as a group, allowed us “strength in numbers” to better attempt to address and meet the needs in our community. As the coalition met and gained interest we set out to identify our mission, purpose and focus. We discovered that we wanted to provide community and professional education, and to promote and support all the aspects that affect families during the childbearing years. The BabyNet mission statement is: to protect and support families through education about preconception, pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum, breastfeeding, and parenting to ensure the best chance for a full-term pregnancy and a healthier baby. It also includes encouragement and promotion of breastfeeding as the best nutrition for babies during their entire first year of life.

Others topics of interest include substance abuse, grief, nutrition, folic acid, preterm birth and SIDS. The members of BabyNet live and work in your community. We are people that you already know and trust: nurses, nurse practitioners, lactation consultants, registered dietitians, social workers, doulas, counselors, and educators. We work in hospitals, clinics, private or independent healthcare settings, health departments, and universities. We want to help build a healthier Kentucky, and we continue to grow. BabyNet Coalition is open to all South Central Kentucky professionals who wish to join and participate in our efforts to grow, to learn, and to support childbearing age families. 

Be sure to keep reading: DID YOU KNOW THAT…each week in your local paper..