Celebrating our largest Mi Bebé y Yo prenatal cohort
On May 6, Corazón Healdsburg hosted its annual Mi Bebé y Yo baby shower, honoring the 21 families who completed this year’s prenatal workshop series. This year’s group was not only our biggest, it was also our most connected, thanks to a new series of support group sessions designed to help parents build relationships and share experiences as they navigate the journey into parenthood.
Creating a space for parents to connect
For Alma and Randy Roman, who recently moved to Sonoma County to raise their two daughters, Mi Bebé y Yo offered knowledge, connection and room for growth. The couple first found Corazón through the Pasitos playgroup with their older daughter, and join Mi Bebé y Yo as they prepared to welcome their youngest. This year, participants attended seven prenatal workshops and seven support group sessions, covering everything from physical and emotional changes during pregnancy to parent-infant engagement, postpartum wellness and infant safety.
“I liked the in-person part of it because it gave him a space,” Alma said, reflecting on how the program included both parents. Randy agreed, noting, “Coming in and seeing other moms and listening to what they said, made me kind of relate to what she was going through. And then the same thing with the dads. Whenever we got together, it was good to hear that the other dads were having similar experiences to what I was. It’s always refreshing. It’s nice to know you’re not alone.”
For Alma, the combination of research-backed information and genuine connection was transformative. The workshops also encouraged parents to reflect on their own upbringing and the kind of family culture they want to create. She shared that she was grateful for the opportunity to tackle generational trauma, and “how to see that in ourselves, and change it so we don’t pass it on to them or the way that we parent. And how to teach them how to stand up for themselves, especially in this ever-changing world.”
Since this past October, Mi Bebé y Yo participants have attended seven prenatal workshops and seven support group sessions, covering essential topics such as physical and emotional changes during pregnancy, parenting roles and life adjustments after birth, parent-infant engagement, breastfeeding, brain and infant development, postpartum mood disorders and self-care, as well as infant care and safety.
A celebration of new beginnings
The annual baby shower, featuring delicious food from Tacos Don Tacos, classic baby shower games, and lotería, was a joyful and emotional celebration for all. Each family received essential items for their new baby, including diapers, clothes, a car seat, and a handmade quilt from volunteer Tina Crabtree, who has lovingly provided a quilt to every Mi Bebé y Yo family since the program began.
“Every family and every new baby deserves a strong start,” said Caroline Rodríguez González, Corazón’s Early Childhood Education Coordinator. “Mi Bebé y Yo supports parents with the information and tools they need, as well as the reassurance that they are surrounded by a caring community. No one should have to navigate parenthood alone.”
Mi Bebé y Yo is the first step in Corazón’s lifelong learning academic programs, which include Pasitos playgroups, the Libros y Raíces bilingual family literacy program, childcare for adult classes, FirstGen College Counseling and a range of adult education opportunities including financial literacy workshops and ESL classes.
