Reyna is a young mom who lives in Nejapa. She is married and has a daughter. And, for the last 6 months, she has been a Volunteer Mother in Nejapa leading a support group and educating other mothers on important topics such as breastfeeding, nutrition during pregnancy, newborn care, among many others.
In a recent interview, Reyna shared with us about her experience as a young mom and new community leader.
“When I had my girl I had no information on how to take care of a baby, and I had no one who could help me at that time. Both of my parents had passed away, my mother-in-law was working, and my sister was focused on her family and children. It was only my husband and I.”
After having her baby, Reyna experienced a period of postpartum depression. Reyna shares, “I didn’t want to eat. I would cry and feel sad for no reason. I felt things had changed after giving birth to my baby. I didn’t look for help, but, thanks to God, I somehow got over it.”
“I have learned a lot thanks to the Parenting with Love project. This has been a process of learning and sharing with the other mothers. I remember a mom, called Paula, who thanked me after one of the meetings. That day we had talked about the colostrum, which is the first form of breastmilk women produce. Paula told me she always thought that was ‘bad milk’ and she didn’t give it to her kids. But now, she was grateful to know the colostrum is actually good for the baby.”
“I was invited to the program by a Volunteer Mother called Nohema. She came to my house and talked to me about the group and how she was working with AMOS. Then, Yanira (AMOS staff) called me and invited me to the first training session and check it out.”
“I have six mothers in my group. I meet with them at different moments in the week based on their schedules. One of them has a six-month-old baby, so I go to her house and have the educational session there. My motivation to be a Volunteer Mother is to share the information with those mothers who don’t know about these important things, just like I didn’t know. I want to teach other mothers what I wish someone had taught me.”
Thank you for helping vulnerable mothers, like Reyna, access critical information about pregnancy and newborn care.
