I, too, like Mary Kay, am passionate about the subject of teen mothers.  I 
work for several years for a county health department with a wonderful 
program - the only one of its kind in the state of Illinois - called Nurse 
Family Partnership.  It's a research based program out of the University of 
Colorado. Teen moms are picked up during their pregnancies, the earlier the 
better, enrolled in the program when they come to the health dept seeking 
services, and assigned a nurse case manager.  The nurse visits the mom 
weekly for the 1st 4 weeks at home or another "safe" place, then monthly 
until she delivers, weekly again for the 1st 6 weeks post-partum, then 
2x/week thru the 2 years, gradually tapering off to monthly the last few 
months before the baby's 2nd birthday.  The frequency of the visits can be 
mutually increased based on the mom's needs.  These moms are all high-risk 
socially and some medically high-risk.  The purpose of the program is to 
prevent violence and provide positive parenting role modeling/mentoring to 
a young woman who has not had this in her life.
My "girls" taught me a lot about myself and my own parenting style. I 
learned probably more from them than they did from me.  One thing I did 
learn is that these moms truly want the best for their babies and 
themselves.  They just need guidance and mentoring to get there.  Most of 
my moms initiated breastfeeding and happily nursed during the immediate 
post-partum period.  Most did wean when it was time to go back to work or 
school due to the typical teen issues.  A few went on to nurse more than 1 
year - the feelings of pride and the HUGE boost to self-esteem was 
indescribable.  Three of my moms went on to nursing school - because of my 
example, they said.  I hope they go on to work with young moms, themselves. 
Several more went on to pursue other college programs, having developed the 
confidence in themselves to do so from the program.
I was most impressed with the ability of these young mothers to step up and 
take responsibility for themselves and their babies.  These young women get 
themselves in these situations - promiscuous unprotected sex, drug/alcohol 
abuse, eating disorders, trouble with the law, etc. - due to low self-
esteem and their life circumstances, but are able to improve their 
circumstances with lots of support (both emotional and physical) from the 
adults in their lives.  Not only did I work with the moms in the program, I 
also worked with their families (father of the baby, if involved, mom's own 
mother), teachers, and other influential adults in their lives.  Together, 
I'm hoping we were all able to make a positive difference in these mothers' 
lives.
Sorry for the length, but this is such a rewarding population to work with 
and I do miss it!

Pam Hirsch, RN,BSN,CLC
Clinical Lead, Lactation Services
Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital
Barrington, IL  USA

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