March of Dimes promotes healthy pregnancies and babies and works to prevent premature births and birth defects through programs and services across Texas and throughout the United States. The nonprofit organization educates moms and supports families during difficult times and is a resource for health care professionals.
Becoming a Mom/Comenzando bien is a program that features unique prenatal curriculum supported by March of Dimes, devoted to educating and supporting pregnant Hispanic women. The overall goal is to ensure healthy, full-term pregnancies.
Offered in both English and Spanish, Becoming a Mom/Comenzando bien is taught by trained facilitators in many settings, such as churches, community organizations and worksites. The program has been offered by Fort Worth Independent School District for more than 10 years and has been in place in Birdville Independent School District for the last two years. The March of Dimes also hosts the program in a number of other communities throughout the United States.
Becoming a Mom/Comenzando bien focuses on prenatal care, proper nutrition and the basic guidelines of personal care during pregnancy. In a comfortable, supportive group setting the participants leave the eight-session series of two-hour classes educated and empowered.
Previous participants took part in pre/post tests and follow-up postcards are used to gauge their knowledge on pregnancy and infant care both before and after the program. The results showed significant change in behavior and increased education about prenatal and infant care.
Post-tests show that 91.4 percent of participants reportedly changed their eating habits and 83.5 percent changed their exercise habits. Another 102 participants quit smoking after what they learned in the classes.
The culturally relevant social and educational support program helps improve birth outcomes and create behavioral change. For example, an outstanding 96.8 percent of program participants responded delivered full-term babies. Here at Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas we applaud this outcome and celebrate fewer babies needing neonatal intensive care when they enter the world.
In Texas, 13.4 percent of Hispanic women in Texas give birth prematurely, but the results realized when this same group of mom joins Becoming a Mom/Comenzando bien are a 3.2 percent preterm birthrate.
You can learn more about Becoming a Mom/Comenzando bien at March of Dimes.com