BY ELLIS RHEE JABLONSKI | news@queensledger.com
On Tuesday, August 4th, the ribbon was cut on the 3rd floor of 161-10 Jamaica Avenue to welcome The Baby Cafe, a joint effort by WIC, Northwell Health, and Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens.
The Baby Cafe is a space for new parents and babies to be able to gather to share mutual support and have a sense of community. In addition to this, the cafe features on-site lactation consultants and nutritionists to answer parents’ specific questions and provide guidance.
“People are going out to Long Island. They’re going out to other areas to deliver and to get their care. But it’s not fair for them,” says Brenda Wilson, a registered nurse at Northwell who has been working in postpartum maternity care for 12 years. “You don’t have to hop in a car and drive an hour to get care. Now, we have it on our doorstep.”
The partnership arose fortuitously after CCBQ-WIC director Leoniza Nazareno and Wilson met on a Zoom meeting. Both Nazareno and Wilson were passionate about increasing access to maternity resources, especially for people who may be lower-income or have less access to resources.
“First-time moms especially struggle, because they don’t know anything about breastfeeding.” Nazareno explains. “That’s where we start with them. If they need additional support, there’s a facility here, there’s staff here that can address their issues.”
WIC (Women, Infants and Children) is a federally funded nutrition program for new parents and babies. The program assists families with buying healthy food, as well as hosting nutrition classes and breastfeeding support. WIC also hosts community baby showers, where people who are unable to celebrate with their families gather with other mothers in their community to celebrate their new babies.
Lorraine Chambers Lewis, President of Northwell Health Long Island Jewish Forest Hills, speaks of the partnership’s significance: “No one can do everything. We may have the medical professionals; WIC has the space and the people coming in and added support services. But together, we’re going to be able to bring more impact.”
“You never know when you’re going to have a life value or mission or alignment, and so that this is born out of that,” she added. “This is born out of a conversation. We work to create the resources and the connection between the people who need it and the resources out there.”
