Baby Steps Fund Research Paper

Without the Baby Steps Fund, a grieving mother could not afford a funeral service for her stillborn baby. Last fall, she gave birth to twins and one baby was born stillborn. She desperately wanted a funeral service for her baby, but could not afford the cost. The Baby Steps was able to step in and provide for a funeral and a casket.
“The Baby Steps Fund is great because it’s those times that you want to be able to help people and assist them. It is a difficult time, but being able to alleviate some of that and knowing how grateful the mothers are is worth it,” said Angela Christesen, fund administrator of the Baby Steps Fund and Director of Maternal Child Services Obstetrics/Nursery/Pediatrics.
In other circumstances, when a patient at PCRMC has a fetal loss the Baby Steps Fund steps in to help families with comfort and tangible reminders of their baby. The Baby Steps Fund creates a memory box for the family which consists of pictures of the baby for a photo album, foot and hand prints of the baby and a two-part necklace in which one part stays with the mom and the other stays with the baby. In addition, the fund provides a teddy bear the mother can take home.
Obstetrics/Nursery/Pediatrics
The Baby Steps Fund also assists nursing mothers with lactation support and education, breast pumps, nursing bras and supplies to make breastfeeding a success for mothers and babies. Many mothers have to return to work or school and a breast pump is crucial to successful nursing. Last year, a single mother had to return to work at the grocery store where she worked and was unable to afford a nursing bra. The mother had a family of 4 and very little income for nursing amenities. The Baby Steps Fund purchased a breast pump for her to still pump while returning to