Because Babies Don't Come With Instructions
For parents who choose Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center (PMC) for their special deliveries, the experience does not begin and end on the hospital’s 6th floor—home to the Center for Maternal & Newborn Care.
Instead, it might begin a few months before the big day with Baby Care, a parenting skills class provided at PMC. Next, the parents-to-be might sign up for a prenatal breastfeeding class and a comprehensive childbirth preparation program such as Birthing Basics. If dad is a first-timer, he can find a Daddy Boot Camp® class for some basic training with other expectant or new dads to gain a confidence boost in his parenting skills.
All of these resources are available to expecting parents through Penn Medicine Princeton Health’s Community Wellness Department, which offers an extensive array of childbirth and parenthood preparation programs and services.
The programs are open to all expecting parents, not just those who deliver at PMC, and they are not exclusively designed for first-time parents. For example, Community Wellness offers a sibling class to help prepare older brothers and sisters for the new baby’s arrival. The offerings also include a Grandparenting 101 course to bring grandparents up-to-date with the latest caregiving techniques and requirements such as car seat laws. And the services continue after the baby’s arrival.
Community Wellness provides lactation consulting services and a twice-weekly support group for breastfeeding mothers. New moms and their babies are welcome to attend a free postpartum adjustment support group that meets twice a month. Community Wellness also offers Bright Beginnings, a free, weekly social and educational session for new parents and their babies.
To view available programs, visit www.princetonhcs.org/calendar.
Expecting parents can also make an appointment for a car seat safety check with one of Community Wellness' child passenger safety technicians. Call 1.888.897.8979. Bring your car manual and the car seat instructions to the appointment. If you are an expecting parent, schedule the appointment at least one month before your due date.
About Penn Medicine Princeton Health
Penn Medicine Princeton Health is one of the most comprehensive healthcare systems in New Jersey, providing acute care hospital services through Princeton Medical Center; behavioral healthcare through Princeton House Behavioral Health; in-home nursing, rehabilitation and hospice care through Princeton HomeCare; primary and specialty care through Princeton Medicine Physicians; ambulatory surgery and wellness services. For more information, visit www.princetonhcs.org. Penn Medicine Princeton Health is part of the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS), which, together with the University of Pennsylvania’s Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine, forms Penn Medicine, one of the world’s leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research and excellence in patient care.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Andy Williams, 609-252-8785
anwilliams@princetonhcs.org
