I am always surprised when I’m asked that question. At our Choose Hope Women’s Center once we believe that the days and weeks after birth are so important and when a mom may need us the most. You see, you can’t tell a woman to have a baby and then walk away. Doing that reinforces the claim of some that we only care about the baby being born. That has never been true for Choose Hope Women’s Center of Bel Air.
While young parents may receive a lot of tangible resources, such as health insurance, food stamps, and WIC, without emotional support these parents and their children have a very difficult time. The one factor that a young parent cannot be given or readily taught is patience and experience. Most first time mothers, even in the best of circumstances, feel overwhelmed – I know I have. Many times I had thought to myself, “If I can just hold on until John (my husband) gets home I’ll be okay.” But what happens to the mother who doesn’t have anyone to come home and offer her even a brief break? This is who I worry about.
It is important for the Choose Hope Women’s Center volunteer to frequently check in with a new mother to make sure she is doing okay these first days and weeks after the baby is born. A simple phone call can make a world of difference to someone who feels all alone. How comforted they are to hear that yes babies do cry for no reason and so do their mothers. We encourage her to say yes to any and all offers of help from friends and neighbors. If there are no offers, Choose Hope Women’s Center offers. Our volunteers make visits to the hospital and home. We provide food, gifts and attention as if this mother and her baby are the most important people in the world – because after all, they are.
Choose Hope Women’s Center is very special in that we try to build relationships with each of our clients. This relationship may last only a short time or it could be forever. Long after the client moves on she knows that we are here if she ever needs us. We get cards and pictures in the mail and when she drops in we are thrilled to see her. It is wonderful to see how far she’s come and the bright future she has before her. This encourages us to continue this important work. While a happy ending doesn’t happen for every client, we still keep our hearts and our door open to them.
-Carol Maglov, Executive Director
If you believe in the work we do at Choose Hope Women’s Center, would you consider making a tax deductible donation? Just click the link at the top of this page.
Your Donation is Love in Motion – You make a difference and because of you someone will have enough to eat tonight and decent clothes to wear. Someone will have shelter and medical help. Someone may have learned the skill they needed to survive and succeed. Someone knows that there are people in our community who care. Thank You.
I was scared, alone and saw no way out of this mess. When I found Choose Hope Women’s Center. I wasn’t alone
anymore. They walked with me and held my hand. They gave me hope that things would get
better. Thank God for Choose Hope Women’s Center. ~ Danielle