week 4 – Supporting mothers

Being a mom comes with many responsibilities. Mothers need support from their partners, families and communities to give their children nutrition, love, stimulation and healthcare they need during pregnancy and after they are born.

Grow Great believes that supporting parents is critical in ensuring that children grow and reach their full potential.

A program of Grow Great, Flourish, offers antenatal and postnatal visits that empower mothers with latest information on the first thousand days of a child’s life. These visits are run by well-trained hosts who create a safe non-judgmental space for moms to feel supported and celebrated. They cover a range of maternal and child health topics, as well as self-care and self-nurturing tips and techniques.

Each Flourish group is made up of 10 pregnant women who meet once a week over a period of 10 weeks. Each weekly visit is approximately 90 minutes long and is interactive and activity-based. Flourish moms can choose to bring a trusted person with them to antenatal class 3 and 9. The Flourish pregnancy journey does not replace any of the clinic visits that expecting moms should attend in order to track the clinical and medical progress of their pregnancy.

Why is it important to support mothers?

It’s normal for pregnant women to have mixed emotions. Pregnancy can be a challenging time posing mental health challenges to many moms. In South Africa, 47% of women experience antenatal depression and 35% of women in South Africa experience postnatal depression.

How can you support mothers?

• Help her look and enroll for a Flourish class near them
• Accompany them to their antenatal clinic visits if they are comfortable
• Offer to do other tasks at home while they have some me-time
• Join a walking group with them or be their walking partner
• Be their birth companion and ask them how they would like you to support them