Mothers & Midwives Nurturing & Caring Campaign

Silver Spring, MD – Knowing the importance of helping pregnant women manage stress and prepare mentally for birth and parenthood, the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) has partnered with Developing Hearts Systems, the Stratford, CT non-profit educational publisher, to launch the Mothers and Midwives Nurturing and Caring Campaign. The objective of this community outreach campaign is to help all women relax and enjoy pregnancy more while fostering strong bonds and baby’s healthy development.

The cornerstone of the campaign is a new, 9-month program called Nurturing Baby and Me During Pregnancy which will be made available to moms-to-be from the College’s member midwives. Published by Developing Hearts and written by Arlene Matthews, an expert in pregnancy stress reduction, and Susan Fekety, a certified nurse-midwife for over twenty years, Nurturing Baby is a complete week-by-week program with a guidebook, CD pregnancy coach, exercises and music. The interactive program provides pregnant women with gentle guidance and engaging activities that nurture both her and baby through pregnancy, labor and birth. The book is available from your midwife, online or from your local bookstore.

Deanne Williams, CNM, executive director of the American College of Nurse-Midwives, tells parents: “This program will engage your inner spirit and help you begin to connect with your baby and grow in ways you didn’t think you could.” The campaign and program will be formally announced to ACNM members at the College’s annual meeting this May in Salt Lake City, Utah.

A unique feature of the “Mothers & Midwives” campaign will allow ACNM members and their clients to help distribute copies of the program to a mother-in-need. The publisher and the College want to reach out and help all moms relax and get ready for baby so every time a client of an ACNM member purchases a copy of the program, that midwifery practice will receive a free copy of the program to pass on to a worthy mother-to-be.

More information about the “Mothers & Midwives Nurturing and Caring Campaign” is available at www.midwife.org.

"My staff and I endorse your materials and look forward to our parent educators' distributing them during home visits." -Mildred Winter, Founding Director, Parents as Teachers National Center Inc.,

Our Mission

www.bondingwithbaby.com is the website of Developing Hearts Systems, the non-profit educational publishers of Bonding with Baby® Development Books and the site for the Bonding with Baby™ Book Donation Program.

Our mission is to create and distribute tools and techniques that bring parents and children together and foster a love of learning. We have pioneered a new parenting technique for the first year called "Book Sharing With Baby" and publish children’s books that are designed to nurture a strong, loving relationship between parent and child. Our Book Donation Program is geared to give all children an equal start by providing these books free to disadvantaged families through other non-profit organizations.

What makes Bonding With Baby® books so special?

1. Created to stimulate parent-infant bonding
Unlike other children’s books, which may be beautiful, enjoyable to read and beneficial to your child, the Bonding with Baby® Developmental Books were specially designed and demonstrated to bring parent and child closer together and foster a love of learning. By loving your baby around these books, you will be helping to foster her/his social, emotional, physical and language development. This way, you know you are providing the best for your baby as you grow closer together every day.

2. Not just a series of story-books!
Unique features of Bonding with Baby® Developmental Books include:
   A.   A developmental series of books that grows with baby’s interests and needs and your relationship
   B.   Point-and-share pictures to engage you and stimulate interaction
   C.   Stories and characters that capture your favorite times together

3. Proven effective in scientific studies
In 2000-2001, an independent scientific evaluation of the Bonding with Baby books was conducted by a leading researcher with over one hundred families with infants. Results showed an increase in parent-baby interaction, enhanced feelings of closeness, and enjoyment.

Parents using the Bonding with Baby books spend significantly more time more often sharing books with their babies compared to parents without them. The Bonding with Baby books significantly increased the pleasure that both parents and babies derived from sharing books. Also, a full 100% of parents reported that they enjoyed book-sharing planned on continuing the practice and would recommend it to other parents.

Read an abstract of the research study.