SAN JOAQUIN GENERAL

healthy hospitals

SJGH SHIFTS PRENATAL EDUCATION PROGRAM TO VIRTUAL PLATFORM

BY NORA HESTON TARTE

The Family Maternity Center at San Joaquin General Hospital places a large emphasis on Prenatal Education, aimed at preparing mothers for pregnancy, childbirth, and aftercare by sharing credible, up-to-date health information with expectant mothers and their support systems as well as interventive care when needed. With the pandemic, however, came a rush of changes to childbearing. The priority was

“We had to adjust and had to adjust quickly,”

Carolyn Sanders, SJGH

keeping mothers, babies, and staff safe while simultaneously providing exceptional care and limiting potential exposure.

One of the biggest hurdles for the maternity center was getting expectant mothers the information needed to make informed choices and doing it safely. So, a command center was created at the hospital. Carolyn Sanders, a nurse and health educator at SJGH, ran the efforts, working up new literature for mothers whenever information was made available, and updating the Prenatal Education packets the hospital provides. It was an around-the-clock job, but the result was a staff filled with informed

health care workers and patients who felt more equipped to make big decisions about their birth plan in unprecedented times. It also resulted in important protocol changes, including the allowance of one non-medical support person at every birth to offer mothers emotional support and combat feelings of isolation.

Instead of face-to-face classes, Carolyn needed to deliver prenatal education to parents-to-be without meeting up. She shifted to virtual meetings, often providing education one-on-one. She was worried attendance would taper off, but instead it soared. And another benefit happened, too. Older siblings, dads, and grandparents would join in on the call, sharing in the knowledge and creating a positive environment for at-home care and support of the mother and new baby. After the baby was born and left the hospital, Carolyn didn’t just get to see them at check-ups. Instead, she would follow up virtually and be invited into new parents’ homes (via a computer screen) where she got a more personal look at home life after birth.

To further limit exposure and unnecessary trips to the hospital, materials about pregnancy and birth options were made available for curbside pick-up. Breast pumps could also be picked up at the hospital and breast feeding classes moved virtual, too, allowing for a safe delivery system for everything expectant mothers needed to survive pregnancy during a pandemic.