Bridgett Young – “What Every Grandmother Needs to Know” class
Giving grandmas a refresher
Bridgett Young was extra prepared to welcome
her granddaughter, Chloe Martin, this past winter,
thanks to a course at Methodist Charlton
Last fall Bridgett Young was busily preparing for the arrival of her first
grandchild, Chloe.
She had her grandma name picked out — “Bumble Bee” —
while Chloe’s other grandmother would go by “Lady Bug.”
She also caught up on the most current infant care practices by taking Methodist Charlton Medical Center’s popular “What Every Grandmother Needs to Know” class.
When Bridgett’s daughter-in-law first told her about the class, she was skeptical.
“I thought, ‘Really? I already know what to do,’” Bridgett says. “But when I got to the class, I was surprised. It was very informative and very educational.”
Learning Something New
“Grandmothers know so much about how to care for a baby, but sometimes they are not aware of some of the things that have changed since they had their babies,” says Reba Godfrey with perinatal education and lactation services at Methodist Charlton. “The class was not designed to teach specific topics to women who already know so much about caring for a baby, but to share with them the evidence-based practice changes that have been made and how they benefit the new mom and baby.”
Bridgett learned infant CPR as well as the steps to take when an infant is choking. She also learned tips for decreasing an infant’s risk for SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), one of which is laying the baby on her back.
“We used to put the baby to sleep on his stomach,” Bridgett says, recalling her early days of motherhood 30 years ago.
Stronger Bonds
In addition to being informative, the class helped Bridgett share in preparing to care for her new granddaughter, making it easier to bond once Chloe arrived.
“I recommend that all grandparents and potential grandparents take this class,” she says. “Anticipating my new granddaughter gave me a sense of unbelievable joy.”
From the spring 2016 edition of Shine magazine
Texas law prohibits hospitals from practicing medicine. The physicians on the Methodist Richardson Medical Center medical staff are independent practitioners who are not employees or agents of Methodist Health System or Methodist Richardson Medical Center.