Mother-Wise

OUR MISSION IS TO HELP NEW MOMS AND PERINATAL INDIVIDUALS UNDERSTAND THAT IF THEY FEEL DEPRESSED, THEY ARE NOT ALONE, THEY ARE NOT TO BLAME, AND EFFECTIVE RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE TO SUPPORT THEM.

MOMS GROUPS - MOTHER-WISE PROVIDES REGULARLY SCHEDULED ENGLISH AND SPANISH LANGUAGE SOCIAL SUPPORT GROUPS FOR EXPECTING AND NEW MOMS, PERINATAL INDIVIDUALS, AND FAMILIES BOTH ONLINE AND AT THE LAKEPORT OFFICE. THE GROUPS ARE GUIDED BY WEEKLY TOPICS RELATED TO PREGNANCY, BIRTH, AND PARENTING, AND ARE AIMED AT PROVIDING LOCAL MOMS AND PARENTS WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO GATHER TOOLS, CREATE FRIENDSHIPS, AND BUILD A NETWORK OF SUPPORT, CLOSE TO HOME.

SAATHI HOME VISITS - TRAINED VOLUNTEERS, AKA SAATHIS, ARE ASSIGNED A MOM OR MOM-TO-BE AND PROVIDE EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL SUPPORT TO HER AT THE MOM'S HOME. MOMS IN THIS CATEGORY ARE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE A VERY LIMITED FAMILY OR SOCIAL NETWORK NEARBY. THE VOLUNTEER VISITS THE ASSIGNED (MATCHED) MOM(S) ONCE A WEEK AND KEEPS IN CONTACT VIA TELEPHONE OR SOCIAL MEDIA. VOLUNTEER TRAINING INCLUDES LEARNING HOW TO BE AN ACTIVE LISTENER, PROVIDING SUPPORT IN A VALUE-NEUTRAL STYLE, IDENTIFYING THE SIGNS OF POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION, AND REFERRING THE MOM TO AVAILABLE FREE AND LOW-COST COMMUNITY SERVICES FOR ANY OF HER NEEDS. VOLUNTEERS ARE SOLICITED, IDENTIFIED, AND TRAINED BY THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (20%) WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF STAFF, CONSULTANTS AND VOLUNTEERS. THIS WAS INACTIVE FOR THE FISCAL YEAR DUE TO COVID.

MOM-TO-MOM CLOSET - MOTHER-WISE'S MOM-TO-MOM CLOSET IS A FREE SERVICE THAT PROVIDES THE CONCRETE RESOURCES NECESSARY TO NAVIGATE PREGNANCY, BIRTH, AND NEW PARENTHOOD. THE CLOSET CONSISTS OF DONATED MATERNITY CLOTHING AND ITEMS, BREAST AND BOTTLE FEEDING SUPPLIES, BABY ITEMS AND DIAPERS, AND CHILDREN'S CLOTHING SIZE NEWBORN THROUGH 5 TODDLER. THESE GENTLY USED ITEMS ARE DISTRIBUTED ON AN APPOINTMENT-BASIS TO ANY LAKE COUNTY MOM, PARENT, FAMILY THAT REQUESTS THEM.

SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENT & ADVOCACY - MOTHER-WISE CONDUCTS TARGETED OUTREACH THROUGH DIGITAL PLATFORMS TO RAISE AWARENESS AND REDUCE THE SHAME AND STIGMA THAT SURROUND PERINATAL MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS. LOCAL MOMS, FAMILIES, PROFESSIONALS, AND THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE ARE ENGAGED THROUGH MOTHER-WISE'S WEBSITE, ONLINE MOMS' GROUP, PUBLIC FACEBOOK PAGE, AND OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA OUTLETS. MOTHER-WISE SHARES DAILY POSTS WITH INFORMATION RELATED TO WEEKLY GROUP TOPICS, LOCAL RESOURCES, COMMUNITY EVENTS, AND PERNATAL MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY-IN BOTH ENGLISH AND SPANISH.