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Web site spotlight: Visiting nurses support first-time mothers

Staff Development Weekly: Insight on Evidence-Based Practice in Education, August 21, 2008

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The bond between a mother and a child is like no other. Sometimes it takes a nurse to strengthen it. "[Nurses] can actually improve the lives of the children, the mothers, and our communities," says Brenda Graves, RN, BSN, CLC, supervisor of the Fort Collins, CO-based wing of the nurse-run non-profit Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) program.

The NFP program partners low-income, first-time mothers with nurses who visit the mothers in their own homes. The goal is to improve pregnancy outcomes, enhance the health and development of children, and provide mothers with the confidence to create positive life courses for themselves. Since 1996, 86,000 mothers have been through the program, which now operates in 25 states and continues to expand.

The birth of NFP

As an undergraduate, David Olds, PhD, was working at an inner-city day care center and saw a need for guidance to be provided to parents and children. In 1977, he and colleagues decided to develop a program for nurses to visit the homes of low-income women during their first pregnancies and until their child's second birthday. Trials conducted in communities proved the program yielded positive results. During the visits, nurses:

• Discussed preventative health and prenatal practices for the mother, such as improving diet, reducing cigarette use, and alcohol and illegal substances
• Provided health and development education and care for mothers and children to increase awareness of specific child-development milestones and behaviors
• Provided life coaching for mothers, encouraging them to develop a vision of their futures, stay in school if under 18, and find jobs

Editor's note: This excerpt was taken from "Nursing new bond: Program pairs first-time mothers with visiting nurses," found in The Reading Room at www.StrategiesForNurseManagers.com. Get a free trial membership that will give you 30 days to test drive all the exciting features on the Web site.

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