Phoebe NFP nurses develop strong bonds with first-time moms

When Jenaye Green found out she was pregnant in November 2021, she was shocked, anxious and more than a little worried.

“I just sat there and pondered for about 24 hours,” she said.

As a first-time mom without a stable career, Green was concerned she didn’t have the knowledge or resources she would need to raise a healthy and happy baby. Thankfully, she learned about Phoebe’s Nurse-Family Partnership from a cousin who had taken advantage of the program. Once Green discovered she qualified, she signed up and was matched with Tiara Noel, one of four specially-trained NFP nurses at Phoebe. Noel became — and remains — a lifeline for Green.

“I probably would have had a horrible labor and delivery because I wouldn’t have known what to do,” Green said. “I probably would’ve had postpartem anxiety. I would’ve depended on Google to figure out what to do. Without their resources, I wouldn’t have been able to be the mother that I am.”

Noel helped guide Green through her pregnancy, ensuring she got the proper prenatal care and was prepared for the delivery and her new life as a mother.

“I had an all-natural birth with no medication,” Green said. “She gave me everything I needed to get through my delivery. Thanks to her, I was prepared. I wrote out a whole birthing plan, and I knew what was going to happen.”

On July 14, 2022, Jenaye gave birth to her beautiful daughter, Jai. But that wasn’t the end of her relationship with Noel. NFP nurses stick with mothers in the program for two years after their babies are born, meeting with them weekly for six weeks and then every other week after that, though moms who need more support will get it.

Noel prepared Green for breastfeeding. She made sure Jai got proper treatment when she developed eczema. And she was there for the new family when Jai was hospitalized with respiratory syncytial virus.

“Tiara stepped in and helped me out a whole lot, because I was very afraid,” Green said. “She reassured me the whole time that everything was okay. She even brought me some snacks and baby clothes because we had to go straight to the hospital from the doctor’s office, so I didn’t have anything I needed.”

Phoebe’s NFP nurses have developed that kind of strong bond with more than 40 firsttime moms since the program began in August 2021, and Phoebe officials say the hospital hopes to expand the program to serve 75 women.

“Our nurses are a resource and a support system for so long that, honestly, they become like family members,” Phoebe NFP Supervisor RN Karen Hills said. “The dads and grandparents get to know them. The families can call us whenever they need something. They’re linked so closely, and that’s the kind of relationship we want with them.”

Nurse-Family Partnership is a national community health program that empowers first-time moms to transform their lives and create better futures for themselves and their babies. The nonprofit organization works with partners in more than 40 states. Phoebe’s is one of just two NFP programs in Georgia. Multiple studies have shown participation in the program decreases the chances of preterm deliveries, improves health outcomes, reduces child abuse and neglect, and helps avoid behavioral and intellectual problems through childhood.