Kirsty Lewis was 39 when she bore her daughter. The resident of Grandview-Woodland had tried for six years to get pregnant, taken prenatal classes and had her husband home with her for the first two weeks.
Still, she worried the crib was unsafe, that she wasn't breastfeeding or healing properly.
"I had several IVF failed treatments, so basically I'd spent a lot of time and money on the whole process and when I got home from the hospital, I was really anxious," Lewis said. "In my head it was my only chance to have a child and if I failed this then I would never have another chance."
Knowing she would receive a visit from a public health nurse gave her some comfort.
A nurse phoned her the first day she arrived home, sensed her anxiety and visited that day.
The nurse weighed the baby and gave Lewis a physical exam, reassurance and information about groups for mothers.
It was a boon to Lewis who has no family in town.
"I consider myself a capable person and I still was so thankful for this visit," she said.
Now she and other mothers worry new mothers won't be afforded the same support. They are going to protest provincial program changes that will see fewer home visits made to most mothers in favour of more nurse home visits to young, first-time mothers under the age of 25 who have low incomes. The visits would occur from the second trimester through to when their baby is two years of age.
The provincial government announced a $23-million Healthy Start initiative earlier it says will standardize and improve public health perinatal and child health prevention services. Its Nurse-Family Partnership program, which begins next year, focuses on supporting families the government says would benefit most from intensive follow-up.
The protest is scheduled for outside Liberal Premier Christy Clark's constituency office in Kitsilano, today (Nov. 25) starting at 11:30 a.m.
Lori Torlone felt upset enough to help organize a protest when she heard about the changes in a CBC radio report last month.
She thinks the program for at-risk young mothers sounds "wonderful" but she doesn't want the government to focus on vulnerable women at the expense of other mothers. Torlone says home visits are important for all, often overwhelmed, new mothers regardless of their age, education or socioeconomic status.
Torlone notes the decades-old program of home visits helps detect post-partum depression, jaundice and breastfeeding problems.
A spokesperson from Health Communications said nurses will continue to phone new mothers and complete an assessment with set questions. Nurses will provide referrals and make visits if deemed necessary.
Torlone says phone calls aren't enough.
"After giving birth, a lot of women are vulnerable, not a lot women would, even myself, I wouldn't have necessarily have felt comfortable to say, yes, I really need you to come and visit me, I'm not doing well," she said. "When a nurse actually comes to your house she's able to assess a lot of things about your situation just by being in your house. A lot of women and babies run the real danger of slipping through the cracks if they don't get a nurse visit."
If the government can find half a billion dollars for a stadium roof, it can find $23 million to maintain home visits to all mothers and extra visits to those at-risk, Torlone added.
Mothers worry public health nurses will be overworked and services such as immunization will suffer.
Health communications says the government is working with health authorities, physicians and nurses to ensure the program has no unintended harm.
Twitter: @Cheryl_Rossi
