New and expanding families cannot be neatly explained by statistics like birth rates. In your story, “Better Health the Newborn Goal,” (Jan. 2) Pitt County Health Director Dr. John Morrow said, “What you really want is healthy natural births delivered to well-prepared parents and healthy moms that desire a pregnancy and are spaced appropriately.”

And we completely agree. Nurse-Family Partnership helps mothers achieve Morrow’s vision. The program, implemented by the Pitt County Health Department since 2009, works by pairing low-income, first-time moms with registered nurses who work together to help program participants become well prepared parents.

Nurses meet with mothers in their homes starting early in pregnancy to teach and hone the skills and behaviors necessary for a healthy pregnancy. Once the child is born, nurses work with mothers to ensure children achieve important developmental milestones and that mothers reach their own personal goals.

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