When Dina Archila Cerna found out she was pregnant, she said she had so much fear about having her first child that she hid her pregnancy from her own mother – the entire time she was pregnant.
Living in southern Delaware as an immigrant, she was 18 hours away from her closest relatives. She was going to become a mother for the first time, and her partner’s family wasn’t around, either. She was feeling alone, Archila Cerna said.
But then she met Kristen Dricken, a nurse who works with the home visiting program at the statewide organization Children and Families First.
“She’s been with me through it all,” Archila Cerna, who speaks Spanish, said through a translator. She described Dricken as her “guardian angel,” explaining that she was there to talk through all her fears and support her choices as she entered motherhood.
“I didn’t see her as a nurse,” Archila Cerna said. “I saw her like a friend or even an older sister.”
As her now infant squirmed and giggled on her lap, Dina’s eyes watered and her words caught in her throat as she talked about the difference that this home visiting program – and Dricken – has made for her and her family.
What the home visiting program looks like
The Delaware Division of Public Health offers multiple free home visit programs for people throughout the state, and some of those programs are run by the organization Children and Families First.
Archila Cerna connected with her nurse after her doctor recommended the program, but new mothers can also self-refer through the nonprofit’s website or by calling the helpline at 211, which connects people with needed services.
In the program through Children and Families First, nurses start working with new moms before they reach 28 weeks of their pregnancy, and they usually stay with that same family until the child turns 2 years old.
While it’s called the “home visit” program, nurses and families can meet wherever the mother feels comfortable – whether that’s in her home, a library or even a school or restaurant.
PRENATAL CARE:Access to prenatal health care isn’t equal for all Delaware mothers
A typical visit usually consists of health assessments for the mom and baby – things like measurements and blood pressure readings – and an educational piece where the mom can learn about topics like breastfeeding or introducing solid foods, Dricken said. Before the nurse leaves, they set goals for the next visit.
This is the kind of work that Dricken said she was missing when she was a labor and delivery nurse. She often felt like she wanted more time with her patients to help support them as they figured out what it means to be a new parent.
“I’m a mom myself and to help another mom with her journey, it doesn’t always feel like work,” Dricken said. “It just feels like, you know, just having a conversation.”
EDUCATING WOMEN:Why this Delaware midwife said she needed to leave her full-time job to empower more women
A special bond
The state Division of Public Health lifts up the home visiting program as something that can improve health outcomes for the mother and baby – such as preventing preterm labor and supporting mothers through postpartum depression and anxiety – but Archila Cerna and other mothers said they also found themselves with new friends and mentors.
Archila Cerna said that she knew that she could go to Dricken with anything.
“Every time that I have doubts, every time that I feel sad, I will text her and she always answers, even if it’s not the time of my appointment,” the new mother said.
Even with a language barrier, a translator attends each session, and all three women clearly have built a special bond. When Archila Cerna expressed how grateful she was for Dricken, the nurse quickly responded that she has been equally inspired to see how much her client has overcome and what an incredible mother she has become.
“I already know that they want to be great parents,” Dricken said. “It’s just, ‘How can I help you achieve that goal?’”
ACCESS:In a post-Roe America, abortion remains legal in Delaware. But is it accessible?
Both Dricken and Archila Cerna said they wish more people would learn about and choose to participate in the home visiting programs. For Archila Cerna, she spoke directly to other immigrants who may be feeling the same way she felt when she first found out she was pregnant.
Because she answered the call and opened her door to Dricken, she said she has learned so much about caring for her child and herself.
“I know we are not alone,” she said. “As immigrants, we are not alone.”
How to connect with a Delaware home visiting program
Call 211.
Visit Children and Families First website: www.cffde.org.
Call Children and Families First: www.cffde.org/contact.
Visit the Nurse-Family Partnership website: www.nursefamilypartnership.org.
HEALTH CARE:As small hospitals disappear nationwide, Seaford saved its hospital. But at what cost?
Emily Lytle covers Sussex County from the inland towns to the beaches, with a focus on health-related issues. Got a story she should tell? Contact her at elytle@delmarvanow.com or 302-332-0370. Follow her on Twitter at @emily3lytle.
