Jefferson Abington Hospital (Image courtesy of Google StreetView)
(The following press release was published verbatim from Maternity Care Coalition)
Montco Mamas will host a free community baby shower celebrating new and expectant parents living in Montgomery County.
The shower will be held Saturday, April 11 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Jefferson Abington Hospital, located at 1200 Old York Road.
The annual celebration is held in recognition of Black Maternal Health Week, this year observed from April 11–17. Black Maternal Health Week is a national campaign founded and led by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance to elevate awareness, inspire activism, and strengthen community-building efforts that amplify the voices, experiences, and needs of Black and Brown parents and birthing people.
Expectant parents and families with babies up to six months old are invited to attend. Guests are strongly encouraged to RSVP. The day will bring together families, community health workers, elected officials, and organizational partners and will include games, food, raffles, free baby care items, and valuable health and wellness information and resources for families. To learn more or to rsvp, visit maternitycarecoalition.org.
“At Montco Mamas we work to increase support throughout pregnancy, labor and birth, and postpartum to address the high infant mortality rate among Black and Brown babies in Montgomery County," said Jamiylah Miller, Montco Mamas Program Manager, Maternity Care Coalition (MCC) "I am proud of our inclusion of Lived Experience Experts (LEEs) in every decision and action step. It is important to include LEEs because they are the Black and Brown women and birthing people who experience the challenges that we have identified in our work. I envision that when anyone is seeking a culturally inclusive support system, doula and lactation services, and other resources to support having healthy birth outcomes in Montgomery County that families will look to Montco Mamas. The community baby shower demonstrates Montco Mamas’ commitment to birthing people and families during Black Maternal Health Week, and every day.”
Montco Mamas, an initiative of Maternity Care Coalition (MCC), was created by and for Montgomery County birthing people and parenting families. Montco Mamas seeks to improve birth outcomes for Black and Brown parents and babies in Montgomery County. This is done through increased use of maternal and child health professionals; targeted education on maternal and child health, parenting, and behavioral health support; and increased provider understanding of Black and Brown parents and Black and Brown birthing people’s experience.
MCC continues to envision a future where parents impacted by racial and social inequities in Southeastern Pennsylvania and Delaware can birth with dignity, parent with autonomy and raise babies who are healthy, growing, and thriving.
About Maternity Care Coalition
Maternity Care Coalition (MCC) is a community-based nonprofit organization serving Pennsylvania and Delaware with over four decades of commitment to improving maternal and child health and early care and education. MCC’s mission is to improve the health and well-being of pregnant women and parenting families and enhance school readiness for children ages 0 to 3. We achieve this through direct service, advocacy, and research, in collaboration with individuals, families, providers, and communities. We envision a future where parents impacted by racial and social inequities can birth with dignity, parent with autonomy, and raise babies who are healthy, growing, and thriving.
