This spring, Open Arms Perinatal Services and PEPS started a peer support group for Spanish-speaking families. Open Arms hosted these meetings at El Centro de la Raza and coordinated additional support for the mothers who attended. Maria, Community Connector at PEPS, and Betty Hernandez, a doula at Open Arms, led this first-time pilot group. Betty is also an obstetrical nurse and acts…
Category: PEPS
Preparing for Baby: Emotional Changes and Challenges
by Kimberly Chan This post was originally published at https://www.oktobeimperfect.com/preparing-baby-emotional-changes-challenges/. Emotional changes and challenges should be expected with the arrival of a new baby. As I prepare to lead a PEPS Newborn group discussion on Emotional Changes and Challenges and prepare for the arrival of our second child, I want to share my approach with other new and expecting parents…
Grandparents at PEPS: How They’re Sharing a Legacy of Love
Grandparents gathered for a PEPS quarterly grandparent happy hour to celebrate National Grandparents Day. Jan Faull facilitated the discussion on kids and positive social behavior. We asked attendees to sit at tables organized the age of their grandchild(ren). Discussion was animated, and grandparents talked about their role being involved. Here’s a look at what they shared: What do you want…
Co-leading, Sister-Style
Julia Calkins is a new PEPS Group leader! She and her husband Jeremy have been married for 4 years this summer. “Our little guy is 19 months old. We were in an evening group starting when Gus was about 8 weeks old and it was so helpful in so many ways!” she said. Like many PEPS parents, they didn’t have…
Table Captain Profile: Suz Fix
Suz Fix participated in a Newborn PEPS Group back in 2016. “During one of the most challenging (and joyful) times in my life, PEPS provided me with a safe and supportive environment where I could talk freely and connect with other new moms.” She decided to give back by being a volunteer leader for another PEPS Group, helping other new parents…
A Work in Translation: The PEPS Curriculum
PEPS recently had the opportunity to facilitate a parent support group in Spanish. Maria Alejandra Gomez, community connector on staff at PEPS helped organize and facilitate the group meetings with the new moms. “It was a great opportunity to provide support to new moms, and it was the first time I had led a PEPS Group in Spanish,” Maria said.…
PEPS adds training videos for Group Leaders
Volunteers lead more than 250 PEPS groups each year, and about 150 of those groups are led by new leaders. PEPS has recently invested in new materials for volunteers as well as in the training they receive. New in 2018 are eight training videos that PEPS created to enhance and develop the training we provide to group leaders. Training leaders is…
Let’s Give the Babies a Shout-Out: Think Babies
On Friday, July 27 from 10 am – 12 pm, parents, babies and toddlers will meet up to stroll around Lakewood Park with local policymakers to talk about issues, policies, legislation that affect families and young children. Things like quality affordable childcare and parental leave for the important time needed to bond with your baby. It’s called Strolling Thunder and…
Reuniting Families
At PEPS we deeply value the sacred and irreplaceable parent-child relationship. The practice of family separation is inhumane and unacceptable. There is no shortage of evidence proving the harm inflicted on children when removed from their parent(s). The impact on a baby or child’s physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health and development when they endure the trauma of separation from their family is…
Featured Volunteer: Katja Petersen
Five years ago, Katja Petersen and her husband joined a PEPS group. “We are both originally from Mexico. When we were pregnant with our first child, we found ourselves with no support network. Thankfully, a friend of ours introduced us to PEPS,” Katja said. “The experience of being an immigrant is not easy because people we love are far away. We are forced to build relationships and connections with people that might not speak our language,…
