Hopeful Beginning’s Teen Parenting Program and how you can discern if this program is for you and your school, community, or church. First of all, it is important for you to speak with the teachers, social workers, and nurses at your school to look at the numbers of students who are pregnant and…
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Hopeful Beginnings can help you if your baby is in the NICU at the hospital after birth. For those of you who don’t know, the NICU is the neonatal intensive care for babies who are ill that have just been born. Hopeful Beginnings is very helpful for mothers that have their babies…
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When your baby is born, the nurses give the baby over to the mom and dad to hold, and then placed over the mom’s chest to provide skin to skin contact. Baby also will start to nurse on the breast. What moms need to know is that the milk has not come in…
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If you do not take care of yourself, then no one understands that you need to be cared for. No one can read our minds as to what we need. What does self-care really mean? It is like putting on your oxygen mask before you put your child’s oxygen mask on an airplane….
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Hi, my name is Gianna and I have been the teen parenting program intern since August of 2021. I am a Master’s student studying school social work student at Dominican University after graduating with a B.A. in Psychology from Concordia University Chicago in May of 2021. My college experience was anything but average,…
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Motherhood is many things. It is joy, it is laughter, it is sadness, and it can even be resentment, as many mothers feel underappreciated and overworked. It is an experience like no other; it is certainly the hardest job I have ever been given. This week, we take time to honor motherhood in…
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Social work chose me at an early age. I was probably “pre-disposed” to being interested in the field of social services as I was adopted soon after birth and was educated by my parents regarding the crucial professionals that helped facilitate that process. My parents also emphasized the importance of the investment of…
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A few things I’ve learned working in the adoption field for the last (almost) 8 years….. -Allyson Stefani, MSW, LSW Adoptive Family and Birthparent Social Worker at Hopeful Beginnings · Birthparents are truly heroes and some of the most selfless people that I’ve ever met. – I believe they don’t get the recognition …
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I have always been a bit of a news junky – I feel better being informed about the status of the world. I enjoy politics (or rather am enthralled by them) and watching the news just makes me feel a bit smarter. However, as my children have grown and have come to understand…
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One of the biggest draws for me personally to the work being done at Hopeful Beginnings is the amazing service of free counseling for mothers experiencing post-partum depression and difficulty transitioning to motherhood. Those that know me undoubtedly know that I am a mother to three very active young boys and the road…
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