| HEALTHY START OF OREGON |
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| For Parents |
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We’re all in this together – Oregon’s children are everybody’s business!
As a new parent, you are building your baby’s future. Research shows what happens during the first three years can last a lifetime.
Having your first child brings lots of changes. Every new parent has questions and can use some extra support. That is why Healthy Start is here.
If you are a first-time parent, please fill out the Consent to Contact form.
Then your local Healthy Start program can get in touch with you to give you a Welcome Baby Support Kit, including information about things parents want to learn, like:
- How babies and toddlers grow, develop and learn.
- How to help build baby’s brain every day.
- How to have parenting skills that work.
- How to keep your baby and yourself safe and healthy.
- How to care for your baby, including tips on feeding and sleep.
- How to find out about things to do and services for new families in your community.
Healthy Start can give you information about other issues, too – like how to get help for depression, relationship issues, troubles with drugs or alcohol, or unsafe living situations.
To save and print a Consent to Contact form, click here.
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| Healthy Start Home Visiting |
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Like many families in Oregon, you may be able to have home visits from your own Healthy Start parent coach for up to three years.
During these home visits, you will receive information and support from an understanding, helpful, and friendly home visitor. You will learn new skills so you can:
- Cope better with the challenges you face as a parent.
- Help your baby grow up healthy and strong.
- Help your baby be ready for school.
- Connect with other supports for you and your family.
Every family having their first baby goes through major changes in their lives. Many families who choose Healthy Start home visiting are experiencing stress, feel alone, are struggling to make ends meet, and want to find out how to get support for themselves and their baby. Healthy Start can help!
The research shows us that what parents tell us is true-- Healthy Start can help reduce parents’ stress and build their confidence. Healthy Start helps families understand how they can help their child grow and learn new skills. And, Healthy Start connects families with other supports so they can be healthy and successful. To learn more about the benefits of Healthy Start for Families, read Family Friendly Outcomes.
Here are a few tips for parents of newborns...
Any new parent can use help sometimes. If you feel overwhelmed, reach out to your support network of family, friends, and community groups.
Take good care of yourself. Eat nutritious meals, get some exercise daily, and do all you can to get enough sleep. Sleep whenever the baby does.
Holding your baby, singing, and talking help her brain and emotions to develop.
For more tips on parenting and the development of young children, go the Oregon's Child Everyone's Business web site.
For more tips and information about support and resources available in your community, visit the Raising Families web site.
What parents say about Healthy Start:
"I am a first-time mother with no family or friends in Oregon. Meeting with my Healthy Start worker gives me a chance to get some support and feedback on whether I am doing a good job as a mom or not."
"Healthy Start gives me someone to talk with and share all my feelings and problems with. They are friendly and very educated people, and willing to help in any way possible."
"I love the fact that someone cares enough to come into your home and go over things with you to make sure that your child is developing the way he/she should, and makes sure that the mother/father is developing the way parents should."
"I feel that without the program I never would have the courage to do certain things such as breastfeeding my child…. and thanks to my Healthy Start worker, I now have wonderful memories that I will cherish forever."
To save and print a brochure about Healthy Start of Oregon, click on your preferred language:
Healthy Start Brochure in English
Healthy Start Brochure in Spanish
To contact Healthy Start in your community, click here.
For more information contact:
Karen VanTassell
Coordinator
(503) 378-5120
karen.vantassell(at)state.or.us
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