Grace Weatherby
/ Categories: WELLNESS, 2023

The Baby Café: Free Information & Support to Families

Beginning January 10, 2024 at the Bennington Community Market

As anyone who has ever cared for a newborn knows, the first days, weeks, and months are often filled with more questions than answers: Is the baby eating enough? Are they sleeping too much or too little? Is this much spit up normal? The list goes on and on. But one subject that seems to top the list of new parent/caregiver concerns is breastfeeding.

Often described as the “natural way” to feed your baby, breastfeeding does not always come naturally to a mother or baby. For those who are feeding breast milk by bottle or using formula, there are other challenges too. The experience can be frustrating and emotionally draining.

But now, thanks to the opening of a brand-new Baby Café, caregivers in the Bennington region have a reliable and comfortable place to find support and answers.

Starting January 10 and based out of the Bennington Community Market at 239 Main St., Bennington, the Baby Café is a service provided by the Women’s and Children’s Services of Southwestern Vermont Medical Center. Open every Wednesday from 11 to 12:30pm, the Café is a free, drop-in, informal breastfeeding support group staffed with International Board Certified Lactation Consultants and/or RNs.

From questions about lactation, accessing the local milk bank, and weaning to tips on latching on, pumping, and storing milk, the Baby Café is the perfect place for anyone seeking information related to feeding infants human milk.  Plus, it provides parents and caregivers the chance to share experiences and challenges of feeding your infant.

In addition, the Baby Café will have a scale on hand at each meeting for all-important weigh-ins. Snacks and beverages will also be served.

All interested new and expectant parents—no matter how you currently are or plan to feed your child—are encouraged to attend. Siblings and other children are also welcome. No registration is required.

Mindy Dame, MS, RN is the Director for Intensive Care, Women’s and Children's Services at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center.

              

Print
8770

Theme picker

MORE NEWS

 

 

 

A Note from SVMC Dentistry

Unlike many other types of health care, most dental procedures require that a patient be present in the office with their mouth uncovered and wide open. In addition, many dental procedures, produce a lot of spray or aerosolized particles that could spread infection. For these reasons, reopening dental offices while COVID-19 circulates requires many strict precautions to ensure safety for patients and staff.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Vermont Department of Health have issued the requirements necessary to reopen our office for patient care. For the next few months, the changes lessen by half the number of patients we are able to see per day and dramatically change the care experience.

Here are some of the changes we've made:

  • We are screening and testing our staff, and all staff are wearing more protective equipment than ever, including treatment gowns and gloves, head coverings, facemasks (such as surgical masks, N95 masks, or respirators), and face-shields, as required during treatment procedures.
  • Patients can use the "virtual" waiting room to lessen the number of people in our waiting room and observe social distancing. We ask that only one person accompany a patient to a dental appointment and only if the patient needs assistance.
  • We screen patients at the Medical Office Building entrance to ensure they have no symptoms and that they are wearing a facemask. Patients must wear their facemask at all times, except during the actual treatment.
  • Some preventive care and treatments carry a higher risk for producing airborne oral droplets. These procedures may be modified to ensure that care is safe.
  • Most dramatically, depending on the dental treatment, a room must remain idle for 15 minutes - 1 hour to allow droplets to settle before disinfection. This limits the number of patients that we can treat each day.

While it is very disappointing to us—after all, we became dentists and hygienists because we like to provide dental care—all existing appointments will be suspended and a new schedule will be created, based on the time it takes for a room to be disinfected. We understand that this is frustrating for patients who must wait longer than usual for an appointment, but it is also necessary to make care safe for all.

Major changes to the ventilation systems—the installation of HEPA filtration and negative-pressure in our treatment rooms—will eliminate airborne droplets more quickly and enable us to see more patients per day. This change is expected to be complete later this summer.

In the meantime, we appreciate your patience as we meet your needs as best we can. We encourage you to continue vigilant home care and reach out to us with your questions. Most of all, we look forward to returning to a more normal time when we can deliver all of the dental care our community needs safely and efficiently.

Theme picker

MORE NEWS

Theme picker

VIEW ALL

Theme picker

VIEW ALL

Our Services

PARTNERSHIP IS POWERFUL MEDICINE

A commitment to excellence and a patient-centered approach sets Southwestern Vermont Health Care apart.

 Cancer Care
 Orthopedics
 Emergency
 Maternity
 Primary Care
 ExpressCare
 Cardiology
 Rehab & Residential Care
View All Services

Theme picker

Theme picker

Theme picker

Theme picker

Theme picker

VIEW ALL