Published: March 21, 2008 12:15 pm         

Free community baby shower

Babies are awkwardly lovely. They’re chubby, they drool, they inconveniently cry in public places and their heads are far too large for their dimpled bodies. Their fingers and toes are like tiny versions of our own, and they stare intently at anything that moves in their general area. They also happen to be terribly cute and cuddly.

Bringing one of these strange creatures into the world is a scary and perplexing thing, whether you are ready for it, or not. To make the transition a little easier, Northeast AHEC and St. Claire Regional Medical Center have organized the seventh annual Oh Baby! It’s A Baby Shower event.

The shower, scheduled for April 5 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Morehead Conference Center, is free to all members of the public, and was developed to provide information and support for planning, pregnant, new or adopting parents and grandparents.

“The main reason that the shower started was because there were so many uninsured young women showing up six months pregnant having had no previous prenatal care and sometimes not even knowing how far along they were,” says one of the coordinators of the event Loretta Burchett of St. Claire Regional.

The baby shower will host more than 30 informational booths on a variety of topics, including everything from car seats to breast-feeding to postpartum depression and even college savings plans, for those who really want to plan ahead. Many of the booths will be organized by Morehead State University nursing students, and professionals like Dr. Amy Conley and Dr. Mary Jane Humkey, both of St. Claire, will have a question and answer booth where participants can ask direct questions and get specific, relevant answers.

Many local organizations are also expected to prepare booths for the shower such as Curves women’s gym, HOPE Pregnancy Center, the Rowan County Public Library, D.O.V.E.S., Christian Social Services and UNITE.

“We hope that participants will gain knowledge about how to have a healthy pregnancy and how to adjust to motherhood,” says Burchett.

This years’ shower is expected to bring in nearly 500 people from Morehead and the surrounding area, twice as many participants as the event has seen in the past. Everyone who attends receives a complimentary grab bag full of baby gear and can register to walk away with one of the many door prizes donated for the event, like a car seat, gift cards and certificates, savings bonds, baby quilts and other valuable supplies for new parents.

“As the event has grown over the past seven years, we have had the opportunity to educate growing families. The shower ended up being so beneficial to some first-time parents that we’ve seen them re-visit the event for their second pregnancies too,” said Kayla Rose, AHEC director.

To host a booth at the event or receive additional information, contact Northeast AHEC at 783-6506.