Way to Grow, Baby! holds 6th annual Pre-Natal and Infant Health Fair

Way to Grow, Baby!!  Some of the many helping hands.  And babies.
Lots and lots of  babies.

Chris Davis

Babies everywhere.  That was my first impression as I entered the Foothills Community Church on Tuesday afternoon, February 26.  The occasion: Pincher Creek and Area Early Childhood Development Coalition's 6th annual Way to Grow, BABY! fair.

Display booths for the many different organizations in the area that support early childhood development surrounded tables full of babies and moms and grandmas and sisters and aunties, and nice ladies that wanted to hold a baby for awhile.

"It's a number of groups in town and sponsors that put it on," explained Parent Link's Colette Sinnott, "to educate new moms on the importance of the early years in brain development, how to play with your baby... We try to promote more one on one time with their child, and use less technology."

"Today, there's thirty moms here, lots of grandmas, and aunties."

When I asked her what her favourite thing so far about this event had been, since she's been to several of them, she sang the following ditty:  "There was a man from York, he had 2,000 men, He marched them up to the top of the hill, and marched them down again."

click me

She offered two other favourites as well.

"What I like most about the day is the moms get to come out, enjoy themselves, have someone help out with holding the babies, rocking the babies, and all the volunteers love being able to do it. Nobody cares if the kids are screaming, it's just that kind of day."

"Seeing the groups and community come together, and how awesome everybody works to make this day happen, because it couldn't happen just by one person planning it, it has to be coordinated effort.

Lynne DeCock gave the welcoming address in the morning, which was followed by a blessing from Veronica Smith.

Dr. Robbin Gibb, BSc.,MSc.,PhD of the University of Lethbridge Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience gave the keynote address, which emphasized "the fundamentals of brain development and how experience leaves its mark on the brain".  Two breakout sessions followed, then lunch, which was blessed by Marilou Nightingale.  Three more breakout sessions were scheduled for the afternoon.

Breakout sessions included:

• Practical advice for optimizing brain development: Dr. Robbin Gibb
• Push Button Play: How battery charged toys change the way our children play: Donna Davies
• Breastfeeding clinic: Dr. Erin Appleton and Dr. Elaine Storey
• Labor support: What is a Doula? Dr. Sarah Dash Arbuckle and Kim Pearson
• Learning to deal with postpartum depression: Brenda Coffell
• Pre Natal and Post Natal Exercise: Sariah Brasnett
• Raising sensational kids: Erin Grujie
• Making your own baby food: Cathy Mitchell
• Rhyme Time (A program at Brighter Futures): Teri Harrison
• The Yoga of Postpartum: Ayurvedic tips to care for mama and newborn: Sarah Sparanza
• Dads and Babies: Dr. Robbin Gibb

Childcare, lunch, refreshments, and snacks were provided free of charge.  There were many willing hands to assist.  I suspect that for a lot of the moms it was a very welcome respite from the challenges of early parenting.

Related:

http://pinchercreekparentlink.com

Pincher Creek Community Adult Learning Council

Neonatal handling alters brain organization but does not influence recovery from perinatal cortical injury.~ Gibb R, Kolb B.

Experience-dependent changes in dendritic arbor and spine density in neocortex vary qualitatively with age and sex. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory. ~ Kolb, B., Gibb, R., and Gorny, G.

Healthy brains begin