Continuity of Care, Lasting Impact
Visiting Nurse Association’s (VNA’s) Parenting Support services offer four voluntary home visitation programs for mothers and children. This is Sara’s story.
Sara enrolled in the Love WINs Parenting Program when she was 18 years old and pregnant with her first child. She gave birth during the COVID-19 Pandemic, so staff completed virtual visits for the first two years of services. Sara was very engaged and looked forward to visits with her nurse (RN) and parent coach (PC). She embraced the concepts from the Growing Great Kids curriculum and learned how to use E-Parenting (empathetic parenting) to teach her daughter about emotions. Even when Sara’s daughter was a young toddler, home visitors often heard Sara asking her daughter, “Are you mad? Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?” Sara was eager to learn her child’s cues and quick to support her emotions.
After Sara’s daughter turned one year old, Sara set goals for herself that included going to college and working full-time. She valued visits with her VNA staff and continued in the program even with her busy schedule. Sara continued learning about parenting, child development, nutrition, safety, health relationships and communication. As she gained confidence in her parenting skills, she shared what she was learning with her parents and the father of the baby (FOB). Sara said that even though she had a wonderful childhood, she wanted to parent differently than her parents. She was able to teach her parents to use gentle, positive discipline. When Sara’s daughter was three years old, she decided that she was ready to be discharged from the program. Sara had met her individual goals and successfully graduated from the program.
When Sara found out she was pregnant with her second child, she reached out to the VNA for support and asked to participate in the Love WINs program again. Sara felt she had learned so much from the program, and she wanted to participate in the program with her second child. Sara gave birth to a healthy baby boy and initiated breastfeeding right away. Because of her previous experience in the program, Sara easily set goals for herself and her children. She was able to identify her strengths and how she could use them to overcome obstacles. Sara worked full-time until her son was born and went back to work part-time when her son was four months old. She reported that she utilized the information from the GGK curriculum daily in parenting her children. During this time, Sara’s daughter completed preschool and started Kindergarten, and her son went to day care. Sara discharged successfully from the program a second time when her son was six months old.
Sara is an example of how the Love Wins Parenting Program can impact a young adult to become an empathetic, engaged parent. Upon discharge, Sara shared with the nurse and parent coach how grateful she was to have participated in VNA’s program, saying she did not think she would be the parent she is today without the program’s support. At the beginning of services, Sara identified herself as a “very scared teen mom” and she blossomed into a confident, supportive parent. Sara has strong relationships with her children and continues to provide them with a stable and loving home.
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