Pregnancy brings about many physical and mental challenges and a new “Mother’s Group” starting in the Morgan Park neighborhood aims to give women the care they need.
Dr. Dona Perry, an OB-GYN, has seen it firsthand – pregnant women hesitant to ask questions, particularly about their mental health.
“Sometimes they will say why didn't want to bother you. And I realized that's a problem in the community. They feel that they don't want to bother the doctors or the OB providers,” Perry said.
Dr. Perry is part of a team of medical directors at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois organizing a new supporter group that starts on April 20, 2023.
“If you're in the early stages of pregnancy, or if you have just delivered, we want to be there for you. We want to support you. We want to help you through this difficult, challenging time,” said Dr. Helen Gardner, a psychiatrist and organizer.
Another organizer, Dr. Gioia Herring-Williams specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation. She says the need for this type of care is great in Chicago’s Black and Brown communities.
“This community, like any community that has women of color, they're having a lot of trouble with more pregnancies and morbidity after the pregnancy,” Herring-Williams said.
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The support group will meet weekly for eight weeks at the Blue Door Neighborhood Center in Morgan Park and each hour-long session will be led by both a mid-wife and a mental health professional.
“We want to teach you ways to cope because everyone's going to experience some stresses, your body's going through a dramatic transformation. And we want to help you address those changes,” Gardner said.
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The sessions will include food and giveaways of baby essentials, such as diapers, pacifiers and baby books.
“We're going to give them things a mother would need while pregnant. And once you have the baby, we will be giving things out,” Gardner said.
There’s a limit of 10 pregnant women or new mothers for the first session starting later this month, but organizers say more are planned.
“Our hope is to have it in not only this Blue Door Center, but the other two as well,” Herring-Williams said.
In addition to Morgan Park, there are Blue Door Neighborhood Centers in Chicago’s South Lawndale and Pullman neighborhoods.
For more information and to register for the session starting April 20, call (872) 760-8090 or register online here.
