Since life is full of surprises we are not always prepared for them. If MomsBloom could have been around in the ‘60’s my wife and I would have been given the support we needed. We would have been able to avoid some of our stress, and heartache, as our son struggled with colic, and as we struggled with feelings of inadequacy and fear.
This struggle took place while I was stationed in Berlin, Germany with the United States Army. Our son was born in the US Army hospital there. He arrived screaming, which is not uncommon, but it persisted. Doctors, at that time, did not know how to treat colic successfully so we endured until he outgrew it.
Now that MomsBloom is successfully helping families through these difficult times I now realize that my wife and I were in the same situation, but all alone. Their care and loving support would have made a significant difference in our ability to feel confident and able, and would have eliminated much of our stress.
Thank you, MomsBloom, for your loving concern for families!
Gramps
Our family designates its ongoing United Way donations to MomsBloom because we have met many moms who have received support from a MomsBloom volunteer who say that their volunteer had a life-changing impact on their lives at a time when they were feeling isolated and vulnerable. On the flip side, we have met many, many volunteers who gain a sense of meaning and community connection by offering their hands-on and emotional support to a family in need. This is an organization that creates a win-win for all involved, and these moms who feel more empowered and supported, go on to be parents who are able to raise their kids in a healthy, balanced way knowing that their community cares about their welfare. Hundreds of families each year are served by a team of dedicated and trained volunteers, while the staff of the organization remains very small. I feel proud to live in a community that cares so deeply for its young families.
Previous Stories
MomsBloom is about families starting out strong. Our volunteers reach out to young families at a time when they need it most -the arrival of a newborn baby. Whether a family is living geographically far from extended family members, facing the challenges of post partum depression, raising multiple children while juggling jobs, managing a child with special health concerns, or recovering from the stresses of chilbirth, MomsBloom volunteers bring a set of loving hands and an open heart to supporting families during those critical weeks of adjustment when baby first arrives home. Week after week, we hear new moms talk about the difference their volunteer has made in their lives - often developing friendships that last beyond their three month period of volunteer support. And the benefits extend just as profoundly to those who volunteer. Caring mothers, grandmothers, and even college women experience the joy of offering both emotional and hands on help to a new mother and they get to share in witnessing a mother's gaining confidence and balance in her new parenting role. Strong families are the foundation of a strong community and MomsBloom helps build those strong families one volunteer at a time.
MomsBloom is *literally* saving lives. Women (and men!) in the Greater Grand Rapids, Michigan area suffering from mild "Baby Blues" to full-blown postpartum depression could not be luckier than to have a resource as compassionate and educated as this non-profit organization. MomsBloom supports Moms and Dads and loves them in all their mess and glory of parenthood. If you've ever dreamed of living in Paleolithic times when your Aunties, Grandma, Mother, Mother-In-Law, little sisters, and nieces all supported you and your newborn, this is it for the modern family. It's like a miraculous passport back in time to when people cared about new moms and their babies.
sara 10/15/2011
Thank you Denise for the review! We can't thank you enough for your support and encouragement.