Pathways to a Healthy Pregnancy From The Health Project by Mercy Health in Muskegon

It begins with you!  Well, actually it takes 2 people in most cases, but we'll leave those details to another blogger out there.  But...once pregnant...you are in charge of making sure that the new bundle of joy inside you is healthy and making sure that you are healthy to handle the fact that life will be forever changed now that you're a parent!


While there has never been an instruction manual that's 100% correct on raising kids, there are ways out there to get your learn on when it comes to a healthy pregnancy.

A Happy Healthy Baby (my great nephew too)

Pathways to a Healthy Pregnancy is a community outreach from Mercy Health in Muskegon and the goal is to connect "at risk" women to medical care, social services, and education to help reduce the number of low birth weight babies in Muskegon County.  "At Risk?"  Yes, factors like young age, financial instability, unplanned pregnancy....homeless....raising a baby alone, the term "at risk" is a scary one but  Pathways to a Healthy Pregnancy can help.

An expecting mother is placed with a Community Health worker who walks them thru every step.  Need to know more about prenatal nutrition?  Need to know where to find help with housing?  Access to programs that can help with Dr. visits?  It's all between you and your Community Health worker, who may very well have been in the exact same place you were at on point in time.  Someone who understands what pregnancy involves....someone who's succeeded in the endeavor and maybe even just someone with a compassionate ear that can just listen to you.  You can even text PGConnect to 24587 and get monthly texts about resources available to you or just have someone to talk to.

I was invited by Rachel McCoy to meet with Tressa Crosby who's the lead Community Health worker in the Pathways program to learn a little more.  Take a listen to our interview below..

Your baby is the key to the next great generation.  Take it from me...my extended family has been gifted by some unexpected pregnancies...and at first, they were really scary for everyone.  As time has passed though, the truth surfaces.  There is no "bad time" to have a baby.  It might not be in the most perfect circumstances....but in the long run...the miracle of a new face in the crowd offers limitless potential, unending hope and the pride of knowing that there will be someone to carry on in this world.  If you need a hand with the "scary part" click on the logo below.  It will take you directly to the Pathways to a Healthy Pregnancy page from Mercy Health.  Our thanks to The Health Project for being a great sponsor of Positively Muskegon.