‘You can get support.’ Community baby shower to share supplies with Coast moms
Expectant mothers can gather baby supplies and health information at a Community Baby Shower this Saturday, where vendors will be offering everything from flu shots to baby books.
The baby shower is hosted by Sharing Health Education and Awareness (SHEA), a Centers for Disease Control-funded campaign focused on improving the health of Black women, babies and families on the Coast. It will take place at Gulfport’s Morning Star Baptist Church from noon to 2 p.m.
Tonisha Mitchell, the owner of Wonders of the World Book and Toy Store, will be at the shower with 150 books, including “Whose Toes Are Those?” and “Every Little Thing,” inspired by a Bob Marley song.
“I’m a single mother — been there, done that as far as being a parent,” Mitchell said. “I understand how important it is to have community support, so yeah, I want to be a part of that.”
SHEA was launched about three years ago as a partnership between the Mississippi Public Health Institute, Coastal Family Health and the Gulf Coast Community Design Studio, with a five-year, $3.4 million grant from the CDC. The goal is to reduce health disparities affecting Black women and families in Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties.
Even the name for the initiative was created with careful thought to what would resonate with Black women.
“Shea and cocoa butter— many mommies use it for stretch marks on their bellies,” said program manager Shakeizia “Kezi” Jones. “So we created an acronym. It’s something that African American women would identify themselves with.”
The initiative focuses on a few particular areas, including nutrition and tobacco cessation.
One subset of the nutrition focus is breastfeeding, which Jones sees as particularly important. Breastfeeding can lower babies’ risks of asthma, obesity and diabetes, while reducing moms’ risks of high blood pressure and ovarian cancer.
But Mississippi has one of the country’s lowest breastfeeding rates, according to the CDC. And Black infants nationally are less likely than infants of other races to breastfeed, research shows, for a wide range of cultural and historical reasons. One issue is that Black women rarely see themselves in pro-breastfeeding organizations and initiatives, experts say.
SHEA has sought to change that.
Jones said her proudest accomplishment since joining SHEA is the creation of Baby Cafes at Merit Health and Singing River hospitals. There, women can breastfeed their babies and get information and guidance from lactation consultants.
The Community Baby Shower is meant to be an extension of SHEA’s efforts to share information and resources on important health issues. Organizers hope 200 people will attend, and Jones said 30 vendors, from Black-owned businesses to nonprofits, will be offering supplies at the drive-thru event. Coastal Family will be offering flu vaccines as well.
One organization, the Delta Diaper Alliance, is driving diapers all the way to the Coast from the Delta.
Mitchell said she liked that the baby shower promoted the idea that Black women can find resources and support within their community. Nationally, Black women suffer far higher rates of pregnancy-related deaths than white women, and medical mistreatment continues to foster mistrust of mainstream medical providers.
“You may not be able to get support in the medical community, but at least in your community, these people here around you that you see everyday, you can get support,” she said.
How to attend:
- Where: Morning Star Baptist Church, 2050 Thornton Avenue, Gulfport, MS 39501
- When: noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 27
- The baby shower is a drive-thru event where volunteers will place supplies in attendees’ vehicles
This story was originally published March 26, 2021 at 5:50 AM.
