Supporting a New Mom With Diapers, Food, And More

Shaniqua Roberson

Shaniqua Roberson found support from B’more for Healthy Babies when she was five months pregnant with her third child, who has just turned eight months old. On a scorching hot day she went to a cooling center, where anybody can come inside to cool off in the air conditioning, at a local church run by the program, with her elder two children, aged 10 and eight, and it’s there that she met Community Health Worker Giselle Joseph.

“I’d just started working as a support professional for adults with disabilities, I was pregnant, and it was hot in my apartment,” she said. “I didn’t have air conditioning and Baltimore touches 110 degrees in the summer. So I went to the cooling center. I was there for two and a half hours, I cooled down and ate lunch, and that’s when I met Miss Giselle.”

Shaniqua describes the experience, and her whole relationship with Giselle as relaxing and calming. There was a play station for children, and the center gave a sense of respite from the grueling conditions in the Upton/Druid Heights (Promise Heights) neighborhood, which is one of Baltimore’s historically most marginalized.

“It was really nice, gentle, and calming,” she said. “They had a food pantry, and they gave me some baby food. I also didn’t have any baby clothes for my little girl yet, and they gave me some baby clothes. It was an amazing feeling.”

From there, Shaniqua and Giselle continued to see each other often thanks to B’more for Healthy Babies. The program was set up to work with community members to ensure positive birth and early parenting experiences, with a focus on safe sleep, smoking cessation, breastfeeding, reproductive health, and more. It has also evolved to focus on building parental power to meet the broader needs and aspirations of local families.

Shaniqua describes her relationship with Giselle as positive and non-judgmental. “We can talk about anything,” she said. “And it helps the relationship that she’s a real person. She has her own life as well, and she goes through her own problems just like we all do. I think that helps us relate.”

Later, when Shaniqua had to resign from her job because of an emergency, she felt comfortable calling Giselle “with no questions asked.”

“Being between jobs and not having the money can be scary and worrisome with a child,” Shaniqua said. “But knowing I had the support of Giselle and B’more for Healthy Babies helped relieve the stress.”

Giselle was able to help Shaniqua access support, as well as giving her diapers and wipes during those first few months. Shaniqua and her partner also benefited from coaching on breastfeeding, healthy sleep, and support with transitioning to formula and feeding the baby.

“There’s support for the whole family,” Shaniqua said. “I brought my partner along with me. The number one thing was they helped my partner be a good support when it comes to breastfeeding. He became a number one fan of breastfeeding. Then, when we transitioned her away from the breast, my partner was able to support the transition to formula, getting up in the middle of the night and making a bottle. He also helped prepare food for the baby like mangoes and potatoes and corn.”

Working with B’More for Healthy Babies set the family up for a happy and sustainable life, Shaniqua said.

“I just want my baby to be happy,” she said. “And I’m so glad I had the support of Giselle and her people. They deserve more support.”