Bright Beginnings Reborn

Penn Medicine Princeton Health Reopens Popular Parenting Group

The Mother’s Day Tea was a tradition at Bright Beginnings, a weekly social/educational program for new moms and babies launched by Penn Medicine Princeton Health in 2006.

So it was only fitting that Bright Beginnings restarted – after a COVID-compelled hiatus of two years and two months – just in time to host this year’s Mother’s Day Tea on May 11, 2022.

Bernadette Flynn-Kelton, RN, and Carolyn Schindewolf, educators and International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs) with Princeton Health Community Wellness, greeted 10 moms and their babies to the Mother’s Day Tea, held in a large conference room at Princeton Fitness & Wellness in Montgomery, N.J.

Beth A. Young, a Princeton-based registered dietitian nutritionist, was on hand to provide the day’s educational component: an overview of the different types of tea and their potential effects on lactation and the general health and well-being of mother and baby.

The educational portion of each Bright Beginnings session is important, as is the social aspect, said Flynn-Kelton, who has run Bright Beginnings for about 15 years.

Ways to Learn and Connect

Debbie Millar, RN, director of Community Wellness and Engagement at Princeton Health, ran Bright Beginnings before Flynn-Kelton. She said the idea stemmed from evaluations submitted by parents and parents-to-be who had attended other programs that were offered at the time.

The commenters noted that parenting skills education should not end at childbirth. Many years ago, new parents may have been surrounded by extended families that could provide support and information. But that was rarely the case anymore.

Princeton Health Community Wellness today offers a continuum of childbirth and family education programming that begins with prenatal breastfeeding classes, childbirth preparation programs including HypnoBirthing® and Birthing Basics, and parenting skills classes such as Baby Care.

Community Wellness provides Daddy Boot Camp® – basic skills training for first-time dads – and specialized offerings such as a Grandparenting 101 course to bring grandparents up-to-date with the latest caregiving techniques and requirements such as car-seat laws.

Community Wellness also supplements maternity care at Princeton Medical Center (PMC). Before COVID-19, Community Wellness gave expecting parents in-person tours of PMC’s Center for Maternal and Newborn Care. During the pandemic, the department created a virtual tour to give parents-to-be an online substitute. Flynn-Kelton and Schindewolf conduct rounds at the hospital regularly, and they handle post-discharge follow-up calls and lactation support.

The calls are intended to check in on moms’ physical and mental health and see if their babies are developing well. Parents may be referred to Community Wellness’ breastfeeding support group as well as the virtual prenatal/postpartum support group and Bright Beginnings.

A Social Network for Parents

Bright Beginnings was created to serve as a social network for new parents. The gatherings give parents a chance to meet and make connections that can evolve outside the confines of the program. Flynn-Kelton said she still has friends she met in a moms’ group three decades ago, and she has seen the same dynamic at Bright Beginnings.

Sherman said the social aspect was important to her because she had struggled to connect with other first-time parents, most of whom are younger. She met friends through the prenatal and postpartum support group and they now have regular calls and get-togethers. They also attended Bright Beginnings when it reopened.

Marisa Irven attended the Mother’s Day Tea with her daughter Mercedes, who was then 4½ months old. They have been Bright Beginnings regulars ever since.

Irven had completed a number of prenatal classes and, after Mercedes was born, she frequently attended Community Wellness’ weekly Ask a Lactation Consultant sessions. Around that time, she learned about Bright Beginnings and that it was getting ready to reopen.

“I am a very shy and quiet person, so making friends is overwhelming,” Irven said. “I was interested in going to these in-person classes because they gave me a chance to get out of the house and meet other new moms.”

It was helpful, she said, to see that other first-time parents were having similar experiences. The educational portions of each session proved helpful as well. For instance, when Mercedes’ pediatrician cleared her to start eating purees, there was a Bright Beginnings session on solid foods. Another week, the topic was sleep, which had suddenly become a challenge at home.

“I plan to attend as long as my work schedule allows me to,” Irven said. “And Mercedes seems to enjoy seeing other babies like herself.”

Paying It Forward

Flynn-Kelton said the new iteration of Bright Beginnings has been a slightly different experience. For example, attendance averages about 10 families per week, compared to, say, 20 to 25 in the pre-COVID days. She believes attendance will increase as they continue to get the word out that the program has restarted.

A few other differences: Babies in the group seem to be younger – newborns to 6 months old – and more partners are attending the weekly sessions. Flynn- Kelton sees this as a positive shift that may be related to New Jersey’s expansion of family leave benefits in 2020.

Flynn-Kelton envisions the virtual support group and Bright Beginnings as complementary programs moving forward. The virtual group is perfect for anyone who is wary of in-person gatherings or who has returned to work and cannot invest the time to attend Bright Beginnings in person.

Both programs give parents opportunities to learn from each other.

“These are great resources for new parents and pregnant moms,” Flynn-Kelton said. “I find that parents love paying it forward to help others.”

Sherman agreed. “I feel like I am part of a community where I am both the recipient and the advisor to parents-to-be and new parents,” she said. “I love being able to commiserate with other parents as we navigate the challenges of parenthood.”

Parenting Education at Penn Medicine

Childbirth and family education programs abound across Penn Medicine, with maternity care hospitals offering a comprehensive array of classes and support groups such as the ones highlighted at Penn Medicine Princeton Health.

Other programs include:

Pennsylvania Hospital (PAH)

The hospital hosts Penn Parenting University, which features virtual and in-person classes for new and expecting parents, and the Solutions for Women program.

Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP)

The Childbirth Education Program strives to meet the needs of first-time and experienced parents, providing a variety of classes taught by registered nurses and certified childbirth educators. Offerings including baby safety classes, breastfeeding programs and support groups, and childbirth preparation that includes specialized programs such as classes for parents expecting multiple births and readying siblings for having a new baby in the home.

Chester County Hospital (CCH)

The Childbirth Education Program offers a wide variety of classes to help prepare the entire family in welcoming the newborn. The curriculum has been carefully designed to help parents obtain the tools they will need for pregnancy, labor, birth, postpartum, breastfeeding, newborn care, parenting, and sibling adjustment. Classes are taught by experienced maternal/infant nurse educators who have a special certification in childbirth education.

Lancaster General Health (LGH)

Educator-led and online classes for parents and parents-to-be offer insight into birth experience options, how to prepare for mom’s stay at the Women & Babies Hospital, breastfeeding, and baby care. Programming also includes specialized classes to help dads, siblings, and grandparents prepare for their new roles. LGH also provides a virtual discussion group, Becoming Mom, that allows new moms to connect with peers and a childbirth educator.