BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Parents from across Kern County pilled into the Beale Memorial Library to learn new tools and resources for their newborns. Organizers want to show parents the support that Kern County has to offer.
The Beale Memorial Library hosted their third annual Baby Expo on Friday, inviting new mothers, expecting, and other communities to learn about babies. This event was a resource fair that showed parents the proper way to care for their new child while offering methods to learn.
Becoming a new parent can be a challenging experience. Multiple Kern County agencies want the community to know they are here to help you along the way.
Genevieve Egana Librarian at Beale Memorial Library said "One saying that is really common is it takes a village to raise a child. Whenever we do this event I am always surprised on how big the village is! There are so many organizations and resources here that mothers could use and maybe didn't know about."
Irene Wilkins Mother/Community Member said "As a mother, a lot of times we might feel alone after and during the pregnancy. We can feel not ourselves. There are so many studies that talk about what happens with brain chemistry. So it's really important to have this support in the community."
Parents got a chance to learn about resources in the community while sharing experiences with others.
Tiffany Torres-Tellez New Mom said "It's kind of like a little family, you get to meet other moms who are first time moms. While still meeting experienced moms with their third or fourth kid so you get to see both worlds."
One organization that participated in the event was Mother's Milk Bank California. This organization collects extra breast milk for medically fragile infants and for babies whose mothers aren't able to breastfeed.
Lourdes Chicas Hospital Outreach Specialist for Mother's Milk Bank California said "I am thrilled to help families with their new born. If you are a mom with extra milk in the freezer and you didn't realize you can donate it, you are basically giving a gift of life to another baby."
This event also provided a children reading component where they read to newborns to get their brains going and improve their love for reading.
"I'm a huge advocate for events like this because it really is about you gaining the tools to sustain life and enjoy it. Come to more events like this, surround yourself with like minded individuals. I guarantee you will gain something from it." said Wilkins
Organizers tell me they enjoyed helping the new mothers and hope to bring this event back next year.
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