UMass Chan partnered with Glo Mom to host the Community Baby Shower.
On Saturday, April 13, as part of its celebration of Black Maternal Health Week, UMass Chan Medical School, in partnership with the community organization Glo Mom, hosted the 2024 Community Baby Shower. The event brought more than 150 parents and their support networks and children to Worcester campus.
“It is not by coincidence that we are doing this during Black Maternal Health Week, which is April 11 to 17,” said Marlina Duncan, EdD, vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion. “We are doing this because Black Maternal Health Week is a week of awareness, activism and community building, and it is aimed at amplifying the voices of pregnant Black people. During this week, we are committed to ending the maternal health crisis that is taking the lives of far too many people.”
Nicole Broushet, founder and executive director of Glo Mom, told attendees about the purpose of the organization. “A mental health and wellness advocacy organization, Glo Mom seeks to bring light to the journey of motherhood by finding hope in every story,” Broushet said. Glo Mom provides maternal wellness literacy, education, and personalized pregnancy and postpartum support, and empowers women to become advocates who address the disparities and social determinants of health that women face. The Community Baby Shower is a community building aspect of Glo Mom’s mission and vision.
The event consisted of two topical sessions: “Preparing the Body for Pregnancy,” at which labor, postpartum and expectations during both phases were addressed; and “The Real Bounce Back,” during which physical issues such as pelvic floor dysfunction, movement, sleep and healthy cooking were discussed. Additional sessions, information on doula services now being offered through MassHealth and how to manage gestational diabetes were also presented.
Sponsors of the event provided information for families and the overwhelming generosity of the UMass Chan community’s donations ensured that the “Babies and Bumps Marketplace” overflowed with items for every new and expectant parent in attendance.
“The Black maternal health event was a perfect opportunity to engage in something together that could positively and concretely engage community voices and provide for tangible needs,” said Catherine Mick, MSW, MBA, associate executive vice chancellor for strategy and chief of staff for ForHealth Consulting at UMass Chan Medical School, whose family chose the event as part of an annual giving tradition they have to support child and family health outcomes.
Sandra Toffay, a nurse practitioner, Worcester resident and first-time mother, hailed the event. “This lunch and learn has been a wonderful way for women of color to get together, especially with the mortality rates among us,” she said. “It is good to network, to see other people and talk about the many services available to us. I think that this should be held every year.”
