The women who didn't fit that profile saw little that supported their situations. Parsons says this is more than a problem of appearance. We found research showing that teen or single mothers are less likely to follow through on good prenatal care, and other research showing that lack of such care is linked to greater incidence of medical complications. To help the hospital better serve non-traditional expectant mothers, Parsons and Nottingham began searching for alternative resources that might be available to McKinley for free or at a low cost. They contacted more than 20 companies and organizations that deal with childbirth education, asking about videos and literature depicting teen mothers, single mothers and Spanish-speaking women.
Parsons says the response has been gratifying.
We have received catalogs listing useful videos, reports on research on childbirth education, and information on relevant government programs and grants. The most promising information was about a government agency that apparently has a lending library of videos especially designed for teen mothers and single mothers. Parsons says McKinley has been supportive of the project and is receptive to ideas that will improve childbirth education at the hospital. Nottingham graduated from Centre at the end of winter term with a biology major and is working at a physical therapy clinic in Lexington. She believes her recent project will help her appreciate the challenge of serving a wide variety of patients.