I am working towards my Masters degree in Nursing with the plan to become a Certified Nurse Midwife at the end of it all. (Basically, I'll be able to do everything that an obgyn Doctor would do.)
A quick note about me- I became a mother at the age of 16 and am now 30, a mother of five and returning to nursing school after being out for 10 years to raise my kids.
I am talking with the local community health center and a few area high schools about creating a series of classes to help teen mothers prepare for their new roles in life. At first, I started listing things that I wish I had known/learned about back then. But then I realized that while I was once a teen mom, I am still starting to feel out of touch with the reality of being a teenager... So I'm posting to a few forums for teen moms to ask your opinions.
Basically the girls that would be attending my classes would not have regular access to the internet like you ladies do- so put yourself in their shoes for a moment if you can.
If you didn't have the internet to learn from, what topics would you like to learn about in a parenting class? Or maybe just tell me what topics you've researched online since discovering you were pregnant.
The ideas I had (feel free to be honest in telling me if they are useful ideas or not!)
- pregnancy basics (progression of pregnancy, nutritional needs, pain relieving techniques, etc.)
- labor and delivery basics (basically the science of how labor/delivery work)
- labor and delivery techniques to help with pain and keep things moving
- resources for parenting classes in the local area (lots of churches, schools, colleges offer parenting seminars and such for free, but I think most teen parents don't know about them)
- a visit from a La Leche League member to talk about breastfeeding basics, tips on how to keep breastfeeding even after returning to school, etc.
- stress reduction techniques (meditation, accu-pressure points, journaling, yoga, etc)
- birth control options after baby comes (the pill isn't always the best answer as life gets insane, that is how my second little one came along!!)
- nutrition for mom and baby with info on local farmers markets and the like
- baby wearing info including contact information for a local group that loans or gifts baby slings/wraps/etc.
- how to make homemade baby food- so much cheaper and easy as can be
- college options, what grants are available, how to find daycare, tips to keep up, etc.
- a list of local groups that offer free stuff to do with baby (museums, art centers, movies in the park, etc.) that are a great place to meet other moms, too.
So- tell me what you think about my ideas and PLEASE feel free to tell me what you would want to learn in a pregnancy/parenting type class if you didn't have the internet to search on.
thanks a million! And for those of you worried about how hard this will be- you are right. But trust me, it gets better and you figure out your own way.
A quick note about me- I became a mother at the age of 16 and am now 30, a mother of five and returning to nursing school after being out for 10 years to raise my kids.
I am talking with the local community health center and a few area high schools about creating a series of classes to help teen mothers prepare for their new roles in life. At first, I started listing things that I wish I had known/learned about back then. But then I realized that while I was once a teen mom, I am still starting to feel out of touch with the reality of being a teenager... So I'm posting to a few forums for teen moms to ask your opinions.
Basically the girls that would be attending my classes would not have regular access to the internet like you ladies do- so put yourself in their shoes for a moment if you can.
If you didn't have the internet to learn from, what topics would you like to learn about in a parenting class? Or maybe just tell me what topics you've researched online since discovering you were pregnant.
The ideas I had (feel free to be honest in telling me if they are useful ideas or not!)
- pregnancy basics (progression of pregnancy, nutritional needs, pain relieving techniques, etc.)
- labor and delivery basics (basically the science of how labor/delivery work)
- labor and delivery techniques to help with pain and keep things moving
- resources for parenting classes in the local area (lots of churches, schools, colleges offer parenting seminars and such for free, but I think most teen parents don't know about them)
- a visit from a La Leche League member to talk about breastfeeding basics, tips on how to keep breastfeeding even after returning to school, etc.
- stress reduction techniques (meditation, accu-pressure points, journaling, yoga, etc)
- birth control options after baby comes (the pill isn't always the best answer as life gets insane, that is how my second little one came along!!)
- nutrition for mom and baby with info on local farmers markets and the like
- baby wearing info including contact information for a local group that loans or gifts baby slings/wraps/etc.
- how to make homemade baby food- so much cheaper and easy as can be
- college options, what grants are available, how to find daycare, tips to keep up, etc.
- a list of local groups that offer free stuff to do with baby (museums, art centers, movies in the park, etc.) that are a great place to meet other moms, too.
So- tell me what you think about my ideas and PLEASE feel free to tell me what you would want to learn in a pregnancy/parenting type class if you didn't have the internet to search on.
thanks a million! And for those of you worried about how hard this will be- you are right. But trust me, it gets better and you figure out your own way.
