May is Mental Health Awareness Month and First 1,000 Days is committed to raising awareness and ending the stigma of reaching out for help. Mental wellness is an incredibly important part of life. It can be especially challenging for new parents as they transition their lifestyle to tend to their baby’s needs. Together, with our partners, we want to ensure that everyone in the Suncoast region has access to the support they need.

A Mother’s Story

In order to help children thrive, we need to support parents to do to their most important job- providing nourishment, love, and support to their babies. First 1,000 Days is dedicated to hearing the voices of parents with their own lived experience to guide our efforts. Below we share a story from a mother about her own experience with postpartum depression and ways of coping.

“Well, for me…
It’s the sadness. Mourning of my previous lifestyle. My previous body. My previous schedules, both at work and socially. Mourning my identity and trying to accept my new identity.
It’s the guilt. Guilty about asking for help. Guilty about not being there mentally or emotionally for those around me. Guilty when I try to relax or unwind.
It’s the stress. The constant to-do lists. The stress of a messy house, a messy schedule, messy hair, messy everything.
It’s the sleeplessness. I wait for my little one to nap because that is when I am supposed to as well.. well it doesn’t happen. My mind is constantly racing, it never seems to give me a break.
It’s the anxiety. The constant questioning, the lack of confidence, the social anxiety. I overanalyze every minute decisions.
It is awful.
It is also..
G - Giving myself space from things that would overwhelm my schedule.
R - Resting, taking naps, taking full showers, and reading.
A - Asking for help.
C - Clean eating, meals that make me feel good and nourish my body.
E - Expecting less of myself. No mom is perfect, we are all doing the best we can.”

-Michelle, Mother of 2 little boys

We are Here to Help!

The First 1,000 Days’ Access to Care Workgroup is comprised of many partners and mental health providers across the region. This diverse group of professionals are working together to:

reduce the stigma of perinatal mental health disorders
improve coordination and access to mental health services for new parents
and increase mental health screening during pregnancy and postpartum.

Coming Soon!

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Coming Soon! 〰️

A current project of the workgroup is the development of a Perinatal Mental Health Coordination Hub in partnership with Healthy Start Coalitions of Sarasota, Manatee, and Charlotte counties. A huge shout out of appreciation to Meredith Piazza, Riverview High School (Cyesis) and Carla Johanns, Forty Carrots Family Center, for their leadership as co-chairs of the workgroup.

Thank you to the Here4YOUth initiative funded by Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation and Gulf Coast Community Foundation for their generous grant to support this effort. These funds will provide training opportunities for professionals, support our advertisements and other promotional materials, and assist with the operational costs of the campaign. Stay tuned for more information!

Parent Focus Groups

First 1,000 Days is co-hosting parent focus groups at partner organizations across the region. A special thank you to organizations that have already hosted groups: Sarasota Medical Pregnancy Center and The Florida Center. We also have many more planned at Kids Thrive Charlotte County, Pregnancy Solutions, All Faiths Food Bank, Manatee Memorial Hospital MoMMs Place, Easterseals, and Mothers Helping Mothers.

Empowering parents as leaders, First 1,000 Days aims to learn about their’ goals and dreams for themselves and their children, as well as barriers that get in the way. If this is of interest to your agency and clients, please reach out to First1000Days@smh.com to coordinate! We will provide a $25 gift card, food, and a goodie bag for all in-person meetings.

We are also offering virtual parent focus groups for parents and caregivers on two different dates. We will be providing $25 gift cards to all participants. Please share the links below with any parents who may be interested.

June 2nd at 12:00 pm - REGISTER HERE!

June 6th at 6:00 pm - REGISTER HERE!

Plant, Grow, Bloom Update

Over the past month, we have dropped off 2,132 grow kits to agencies across the region! Our grow kits consist of an assortment of seeds such as basil, cilantro, and a variety of flowers; along with soil and pots for mothers, kids, and families to assemble together.

We have also attended community events where we have provided our planting activity for families to take home with them and watch their seeds grow!

For more information about our #PlantGrowBloom campaign, visit https://www.first1000dayssuncoast.org/plant-grow-bloom

If you’re interested in participating and receiving material, please email us First1000Days@smh.com

Partner Spotlight

St. Vincent de Paul, specifically Saints Peter & Paul the Apostles Catholic Church in Bradenton, is our partner spotlight this month. Their organization helps families who are struggling with utilities payments and rent. During this time of stress and inflation, the volunteers have been a source of comfort to those in need. They have also been spreading the word about First 1,000 Days Suncoast and connecting families with Navigator, Tina Wilson, so we can support them with services and love. Thank you for being such a critical part of our initiative!

Upcoming Events

Mothers Helping Mothers Spring Into Summer

Mothers Helping Mothers is one of our trusted partners who continuously offers guidance to families and professionals in the community. Thank you for allowing us to participate in this fun Spring Into Summer event on May 25th from 12-3 pm! We’re encouraging families with young children to stop by for fun activities, goodies, and extra information about resources available in the community.

Soar in 4

First 1,000 Days will be attending the next event at Soar in 4! We’ll be handing out goodies and extra information about how we help families throughout the region. Click here to find out more!

Calls-To-Action

CLICK HERE to register for the next First 1,000 Days Full Partner Meeting via zoom on August 4th from 2:00 - 3:00 pm.
Join Unite Us to send medical, mental health, and social service referrals. CLICK HERE to learn more or e-mail elena.jimenez@uniteus.com.
Share Plant, Grow, Bloom and Mental Health Awareness content from First 1,000 Days Suncoast’s Facebook and Instagram pages on your organization’s social media!
E-mail us about any upcoming events First 1,000 Days can participate in as a vendor!

We’re Here to Listen