BILLINGS— A community baby shower at Billings Public Library connected new and expecting parents with local resources and a free RiverStone Health program, Welcome Baby.
The baby shower brought together providers from Billings Clinic, Intermountain Health, Heart and Sole Therapy and more.
Watch to see how Welcome Baby is reaching out to new parents:
“Having these different organizations here and making themselves known to new moms is hugely valuable,” said Billings mom Kelsey Harbison.
Harbison is a mom to baby Iona Harbison, and she is expecting her second child in February.
“We got a ton of great resources, different information from other organizations throughout the community that we didn't even know were available to us,” she said.
Early Intervention Services Coordinator at RiverStone Health Ellie Lanz said Welcome Baby provides more than resource referral.
New parents who sign up for the free program will receive four home visits from local health workers, providing them with a range of parenting education and support at no cost.
“We can provide mental health support, safe sleep education, a lot of different things. We also check developmental milestones for the infants,” Lanz said.
The requirements for joining the program are that the parents must live in Yellowstone County and be expecting a child or have a newborn six weeks old or younger.
“We can enroll them, and they'll get a call from one of our home visitors within five business days or even earlier,” Lanz said.
Fourteen families in the county use the program, but that number is growing.
Lanz hopes more people will learn about Welcome Baby so it can reach more parents.
“That transition home from the hospital to home can be a tough one and it can be really overwhelming. So, we really try to reach out to moms early in that journey and just make sure that they have everything that they need,” Lanz said.
For more information about Welcome Baby, visit this link.
