Preparing to welcome a new baby should be a time filled with hope and anticipation. But for one expectant mother, pregnancy also brought uncertainty about the future.
Having already lost one pregnancy to miscarriage, a loss that left her devastated, a young woman was fleeing domestic violence when she received a housing opportunity through Simpson’s Family Housing Program. While she settled into her new home, in addition to a family support specialist, an early childhood specialist connected with her through Simpson’s family spirit program.
“You know how sometimes when you are afraid of something, you don’t want to seek out opportunities for people to tell you that what you are afraid of has happened?” said Jocelyn Pickreign, Simpson’s Children and Youth Services Manager. For a mom carrying that much grief and fear, even walking into a routine prenatal appointment can feel impossible.
Someone in Her Corner
The Family Spirit program is available to all families in Simpson housing programs with children prenatal to age 3. Family Spirit is an evidence-based maternal and child health curriculum developed by the Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health. While originally designed by native scholars for use on reservations, Simpson has adapted this culturally responsive approach for the predominantly African American families we support.
When starting to work with this expecting mother, Simpson’s early childhood specialist didn’t start with a checklist. They started with a relationship.
Once trust was established, the specialist offered something simple and powerful: Would you like me to go with you to your prenatal visit? Would you want help getting ready for the hospital?
Together they learned what was happening in her body, what would happen at the doctor’s office, and what she was likely to hear there. The specialist didn’t make decisions for her. They moved at her pace, helped her name what was keeping her from care, and prepared her to speak up for herself and her baby in a medical system that can be confusing and overwhelming.
It worked. She kept up with prenatal care at the recommended rate and delivered a healthy baby girl. Mom and baby are both doing well, and they remain safe. Soon after the birth, the Family Spirit team got a text with the first photo of the newborn.
Pickreign is clear about what made the difference. “We can give all of the facts, but facts rarely eliminate fear. It is relationships that eliminate fear.”
That is the heart of Family Spirit. “Through relationship, we see skill development,” she said. “And through skill development, we see independence.”
The program begins during pregnancy and continues until a child’s third birthday, through more than 60 lessons on maternal health, whole-family health and child development. Simpson’s early childhood staff, each certified by Johns Hopkins, visit families about once a week.
Each visit is a conversation between two experts. The parent is the expert on their child, their traditions and their culture. The staff brings the latest developmental and health research. Together they build a toolkit for the parent that neither could have created alone.
So Much More than a Shelter
Annually, in Simpson’s Family Housing Program 300 families and 650 children are supported across four counties. Much of the life-changing work happens quietly, in kitchens and doctor’s offices, one family at a time.
One family at a time is how a mother who was too afraid to see a doctor became a confident advocate for her daughter. It’s how a baby born to a family in crisis gets a healthy start, and how parents leaving homelessness learn to break cycles that may have held their families for generations.