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Health Department offers support for mothers
Becoming A Mom classes start Oct. 8
becomingamom24
The Barton County Health Department offers services for women who are pregnant and families with infants and children. Shown here promoting the new “Becoming A Mom” class are, from left: Morgan Sanchez, Beverly Frizell and Savannah Bochy. - photo by Susan Thacker

The Barton County Health Department, 1300 Kansas Ave., offers numerous services to expecting mothers and those with infants and children.


Becoming a Mom

What to expect during pregnancy is the subject of Becoming A Mom, a free six-week series that starts Tuesday, Oct. 8, at the Health Department. The sessions will continue every Tuesday from 1:30-3:30 p.m. There is no income criteria.

Topics to be discussed include:

• Healthy Pregnancy

• Nutrition

• Labor & Delivery

• Infant Feeding

• Infant Care

• Postpartum Health

For more information or to sign up, call the Health Department at 620-793-1909.

“They have to call to register,” said Beverly Frizell, the coordinator of the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program and supervisor of Maternal Child Health (MCH) at the Health Department. A spouse or parental support person is welcome to join the pregnant woman.

Frizell noted that the curriculum for the classes comes from the March of Dimes and is approved by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.


Linking Arms with Teen Parents

Savanah Bochy is an MCH home visitor breastfeeding peer counselor, and teen pregnancy targeted case management coordinator at the Health Department.

Linking Arms with Teen Parents offers peer support, mentorship and connections to resources. The support group meets from 4-5:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month at the Health Department, 1300 Kansas Ave. For more information contact Bochy at 620-793-1909, text 620-639-3710 or email sbochy@bartoncounty.org.


Breastfeeding

The Feeding Our Future breastfeeding support group meets at 3:30 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month and 1:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday at the Barton County Health Department, 1300 Kansas Ave. There is also a Pawnee County support group. For their schedule, call the Pawnee County Health Department, 620-285-6963.

The Central Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition is a task force of the Central Kansas Partnership, based in Great Bend. A flier listing several resources for information, classes, supplies and social media is available at the health department.


WIC

The Barton County Health Department also runs the local Women, Infants and Children program. The WIC program aims to safeguard the health of low-income women, infants, and children up to age 5 who are at nutrition risk by providing nutritious foods to supplement diets, information on healthy eating, and referrals to health care. (See story here.)