A Complex Reality, Wrapped in a Crisis. And parenting an infant without a steady stream of diapers and available health care. And knowing how to constructively discipline a toddler when your only role models were overwhelmed, violent or absent altogether as parents.
The pregnancy services provided by the five agencies profiled here include the basics: confirming that a woman is expecting; distributing diapers, wipes, car seats and baby clothes; offering parenting classes and early childhood education.
The services can also be more comprehensive, including full medical care, behavioral health counseling, doula accompaniment, home visits, housing for those experiencing homelessness or adoption services. The agencies have impacted lives in ways both large and small, whether the client is a woman who is already parenting or one trying to decide if she should make an adoption plan.
We want them to do well for themselves. No matter the services offered, these agencies and their dedicated staff share this foundational goal, even as they know that success is defined differently in every case. Pictured above: Clients participate in a Nurturing Families infant massage class, which helps them bond with their babies, through Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of San Antonio, Inc.
After receiving medical care, counseling and baby supplies at Marisol Health, as well as taking classes and joining a mother's support group, Kisha gave birth to daughter Earline in The two have flourished and still receive services through Catholic Charities Archdiocese of Denver.
