COLUMBUS, Ohio — Despite everything going on in the world, families continue to grow and the need to support expecting and new mothers is greater than ever.
Each year approximately 150 babies die before their first birthday in Franklin County, according to Franklin County Public Health.
Some reasons for infant mortality include birth defects, preterm birth and low birth weight, maternal pregnancy complications, maternal health issues and a lack of access to appropriate care, to name a few.
Despite the colder weather, CelebrateOne is keeping up with their virtual Stroller Socials to educate new and expecting mothers across central Ohio.
"This has really turned more into sharing education, sharing resources, letting them know who they can talk to directly and making sure they understand that CelebrateOne is here to support them and to support them in getting those resources," said Sarah Posten, a neighborhood integration manager for CelebrateOne.
In some of their virtual meetings, CelebrateOne has connected local mothers with a variety of resources, including OBGYN's and even firefighters, who have shared best practices for keeping a child safe at home and code enforcement.
"Are we supposed to continue to go to the doctor, you know, during the pandemic? At first, sometimes, you may be kind of held back a little bit on doing that but having that reassurance from these experts and sharing that information with us, I think, has really helped a lot of our moms and families," Posten said.
Recently, CelebrateOne offered new mothers a fitness class by Mike Nicholson, with Phlex Hip-Hop Fitness.
In the class, held on Facebook Live, Nicholson shared tips for staying physically and mentally fit before, during and after pregnancy.
"He even talked about like, you know, holding your baby, your infant, and doing squats," Posten said. "He's like you can just do 10 and it's perfect. It just kind of gets your blood moving and that flow of things. "And then he talked about doing little games with your toddler; making it fun."
One woman who talked with 10TV about her experience with CelebrateOne, explained that she was grateful for the support as she had her second child during the pandemic.
"I don't have family or anything around so they've been really like, supportive, like Sarah, I think of her as a friend because she's helped me out so much with everything," said Rayann Schott. "Anything I need I can ask her and she will do her very best to help me out."