• By Rodd Smith
• Posted Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Winner of the My Healthy Baby Photo Pageant!

Annually, September is recognized as National Infant Mortality Awareness Month. Each year we remember those cribs that remained empty and those nurseries that stood silent. Infant mortality is defined as the death of a baby before his or her first birthday. There are many reasons that babies die before their first birthday, but the majority die due to prematurity, birth defects, and SIDS (or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).

This year while remembering those babies whose candles were extinguished too soon, Forsyth County Healthy Start Baby Love Plus also recognized and celebrated those babies that were born healthy and thriving. On September 1st, we kicked off a month-long campaign entitled, “My Healthy Baby.” This effort recognized and supported those behaviors that preconceptional women, mothers-to-be, and fathers engaged in to hopefully assure a positive birth outcome.

Armed with our cameras, we headed into the community and started photographing babies – they were all beautiful. We then asked questions, such as, “Mom, what did you do during your pregnancy to ensure you had a healthy baby?” and, “Dad, how did you support your partner during her pregnancy?” Our moms told us that they ate a balanced diet, exercised daily, stopped smoking, and stayed clear of people who did smoke. Fathers that we met supported their partners in developing and maintaining healthy habits, such as reminding moms to take prenatal vitamins.

We uploaded pictures to our Forsyth County Healthy Start Baby Love Plus Facebook page and documented those things that moms and dads did to have healthy pregnancies. We then invited our Facebook fans to vote for the babies in the, “My Healthy Baby Photo Pageant.”

So…that brings us to today. We are excited to announce the winner of the Pageant, Isabella (she received the most LIKEs – as a matter of fact 164 Facebook fans LIKEd her picture). Isabella is a healthy and smiling four-month old. Her mother, Heather, ate a balanced diet while she was pregnant. Isabella will be featured in media that we create to promote our program and to support and encourage preconception and interconceptional (those periods of time before and between pregnancies) wellness. Congratulations to Isabella and to her parents, Heather and George. We also offer congratulations to all of the babies and to their parents who participated in the, “My Healthy Baby Photo Pageant”. They are all winners and we celebrate their health and the healthy habits of their moms and dads each day and every month of the year!

For more information, visit us at Healthy Start/Baby Love Plus.