It’s been a while since we’ve connected though Breastfeed Durham’s monthly newsletter, but guess what, we’re back! Durham County’s Improving Community Outcomes for Maternal and Child Health initiative has been working hard to develop and modify policy changes that amplify the voices of those with lived experiences, but before we get too deep, I’d like to take a moment to introduce our new community health worker, Breann Wyman.
Breann Wyman is dedicated to advocating for the health and well-being of all mothers and babies in Durham County. Originally from Whiteville, NC, Breann earned her B.S. in Public Health Education at the illustrious North Carolina Central University in May 2023. She currently serves as a Community Health Worker for Durham County’s Improving Community Outcomes for Maternal and Child Health (ICO4MCH). She has a strong passion for all things related to maternal and child health, with a particular focus on addressing & improving preconception-interconception health in women and men of reproductive age to improve birth outcomes. Breann’s work will continue to promote ICO4MCH’s three aims of improving birth outcomes, reducing infant mortality, and improving the health statuses of children ages 0-5 through active community engagement, health equity advancement, and bringing avid awareness of the importance of breastfeeding!
In the interest of Reproductive Justice (RJ) defined by SisterSong as “the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities” our implementation team has made the decision to switch our evidence-based strategy to focus on Preconception and Interconception Health. Our new evidence-based strategy allows us to work with men and women of reproductive age to identify and modify physical, behavior, and social risk through preventive and management interventions.
On behalf of Durham County Department of Public Health, 6 staff across three local organizations completed Northwestern University’s Mothers and Babies training in October. This training will afford us the opportunity to implement an evidence-based intervention designed to promote healthy mood management while teaching pregnant women and new moms how to effectively respond to stress in their lives through increasing the frequency of thoughts and behaviors that lead to positive mood states. If you or someone you know has mild to moderate depression symptoms, elevated stress and/or anxiety levels during the perinatal period (pregnancy through baby’s first year), please reach out to Breann Wyman at BreannWyman@dconc.gov.
In honor of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, the ICO4MCH implementation team led a walk, in memory of the babies who will forever hold a special place in our hearts. Durham County staff were asked to join us by wearing pink or blue acknowledging lose grieving a pregnancy or infant loss.
As always, feel free to connect with us by email at Sbrevard@dconc.gov and BreannWyman@dconc.gov.
Catch you next month!