Healthy Start Enhanced Services

Child Birth Education and Breastfeeding Education and Support

Child Birth Education and Breastfeeding Education are provided by Karen Kennedy-Tyus, L.M., of Agape Midwifery Services. Click here for more information about sessions provided and education to pregnant women and their families, both during early and late pregnancy, which promote healthy outcomes for the mother and her infant. Childbirth education is provided with consideration to the cultural, language, educational/literacy and accessibility needs of the participants. With participant’s approval, fathers, significant others and other household members are encouraged to participate in the education process. It includes the following topics:

Healthy Start prenatal and infant screening,
Anatomy and physiology of pregnancy and birth,
Physical and emotional changes related to pregnancy,
Basic nutrition and breastfeeding,
Prenatal care,
Self empowerment,
Stress management,
Warning signs of pregnancy,
Signs and symptoms of preterm labor,
Preparation for labor and birth
Parent/child attachment,
Growth and development,
Newborn care and safety,
Immunizations,
Postpartum changes,
Family planning
Sibling preparation.

In order to access this service, you must complete a Healthy Start screen. for information about filling out the screen, call the Healthy Start Assessment Center at (386) 947-2446 or toll free at 1 (866) 301-2066, or see your prenatal provider.

Interconception Education and Counseling

Interconception Education and Counseling is provided by Karen Kennedy-Tyus, L.M., of Agape Midwifery Services and/or by Healthy Start Care Coordinators and Healthy Start Family Assessment Workers.

Parenting Education and Support

Parenting Education & Support is provided by the Healthy Start Care Coordinators and Healthy Start Family Assessment Workers utilizing the San Angelo & Florida State University approved curriculums.

Tobacco Education and Cessation Counseling

Tobacco Education and Cessation Counseling is provided by Healthy Start Care Coordinators and Healthy Start Family Assessment Workers. Counseling that is provided to pregnant women and their families in order to reduce the incidence of prenatal smoking and to reduce the harmful effects to the mother and developing fetus when the mother ingests chemicals from tobacco or is exposed to environmental tobacco smoke. Environmental tobacco smoke is damaging to all household members. Infants and young children are particularly vulnerable to upper and lower respiratory disease caused by tobacco smoke. Infants born to women who are exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) during pregnancy may have a small decrement in birth weight and a slightly increased risk for intrauterine growth retardation than infants born to women who are not exposed to ETS. (U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Women and Smoking, 2001) Tobacco education and cessation includes the following topics:

Consequences of tobacco use including ETS
Nicotine addition
Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) instruction
Reasons for quitting
Awareness of habits associated with tobacco use
Stress reduction methods, including deep breathing techniques
Exercise and nutrition
Relapse and relapse prevention
Information related to how anti-depressants designed for smoking cessation
can assist a non-pregnant, non-breastfeeding mother of a Healthy Start infant
Information on the possibility of continuing breast feeding when using NRT
Advice to smokers who breast feed and do not want to quit that smoking just
before or during breastfeeding should be avoided.