Care Coordinator has a new understanding of her clients
A Seminole County Care Coordinator relates to her clients in new ways with her own pregnancy

In July, Seminole County Care Coordinator Leticia was helping teach a Platicas class when, as part of the group exercise, she stated that one of her life goals was to have a baby. Little did she know that a month later she would find out she was not only pregnant, but pregnant with twins. “I will never forget my husband’s face when he found out we were having twins” said Leticia, “his eyes got really big and he almost fainted.”
		Leticia now has a new understanding of what her clients were experiencing with their pregnancies. “I always felt compassionate for my clients, but now I relate to them even more, especially after being assigned my own case worker due to my high risk pregnancy.” Being pregnant while seeing clients made her home visits more enjoyable. It also made conversations more informal since both client and staff member were going through the same stages of pregnancy.
Even though Leticia was confined to bed rest for the last month of her pregnancy, she was back to work at Healthy Start within three months of giving birth. Her twins, Juliana and Sebastian, stay at home with their grandmother during the day. “It was hard to leave them at home, but I try to visit them at lunch most days.” Leticia relates more with women now when she discusses techniques for breastfeeding or lessening morning sickness. She feels the whole experience has made her become a better Care Coordinator for her Healthy Start clients.

Healthy Start Program helps Orange County Mother
A 38-year-old mother who gave birth to son, Shane, explains how the program benefited her.

“At the beginning, resources were made available— such as the parenting classes. I thought they were going to tell me stuff I already knew. The teacher turned out to be a ‘Life Learning’ person. She taught the importance of ‘being the best that you can be’—not just ‘how to change a diaper.’ I completed four classes. My Healthy Start nurse always had an answer for every question I had in caring for my son. She gave me guidelines of what he should be doing and it was done in a positive way. I was encouraged to know that he was developing ‘just right.’ Healthy Start referred me to ‘Work Force.’ I went to an employment seminar every day for two weeks. I learned many skills, some of which included: how to interview, preparing a resume, and how to present one’s self. I completed worksheets on ‘being positive.’ We also worked on identifying strengths and weaknesses. She was a fantastic teacher. All these factors combined helped me to feel good about myself. Everyone was so positive and everyone really seemed to care. Because I feel better about myself, I am a better mom. It has affected my mothering of my two older children as well.”