Preparing for Baby

The Boston University Maternity Program will cover issues from maternity leave and breast-feeding to child care and the psychological concerns of returning to work.

Most expecting parents are consumed with an endless to-do list in the months before their baby arrives. They need to outfit the nursery, vet possible names, and attend doctor appointments and birthing classes.

In all this preparation for B-day, parents sometimes fail to plan adequately for what happens after the baby’s birth or adoption, and issues like maternity leave, child care, or the transition back to work get little to no attention.

A Human Resources program for BU employees is helping to address some of those concerns. Staff from both the Charles River Campus and the Medical Campus are again organizing the Boston University Maternity Program, a two-hour information session followed by a question-and-answer period, which will be held on Thursday, October 23, and again on Wednesday, October 29. Five presenters will walk employees through BU’s maternity leave policy, present child-care options and family resources, discuss the psychological and emotional hurdles of returning to work, and broach breast-feeding basics. The session is free for all BU employees who are having a baby or adopting a child—or planning either—or who intend to help loved ones through this life transition.

Organizers launched the program last spring and it quickly filled to capacity, encouraging them to add a second spring session to accommodate a wait list of BU employees. More sessions will be planned for this spring.

Kristin Gruber-Grunert, director of the Family Resources office and the Children’s Center, says she got the idea for the program after reading about a similar and successful program that Johns Hopkins University offered. She knew immediately that she wanted to start such a program at BU.

“This is genius, and it’s so simple,” says Gruber-Grunert, who proceeded to pull together a team of presenters. She hopes attendees will “realize they are not alone and that there are other people going through the same sorts of things.”

As one of the presenters, Gruber-Grunert will discuss resources and services available through her office, such as information on how to find babysitters or choose summer camps and educational and school vacation programs. She’ll also provide information about the Children’s Center, a licensed and accredited early childhood education program for BU families with children between the ages of two and five.

Mary Fleming, a consultant at Human Resources, will address federal and state legislation regarding maternity leave, how University benefits can be applied to that leave, and what parents need to do to enroll their child in their health care plan. Kathy Mohan, a Human Resources senior benefits analyst, will also be available to answer any benefits questions related to childbirth or adoption.

Marcy McMahon, an obstetric nurse and lactation consultant at Boston Medical Center, describes her portion of the program as Breast-Feeding 101. She plans to discuss why women choose to breast-feed, what they should expect, how they can prepare, and where they can seek help once they return home from the hospital.

“Even if you’ve seen women breast-feeding,” McMahon says, “most people are not aware of breast-feeding behavior.” That can lead some new mothers to give up on the process without seeking help from trained professionals.

To support breast-feeding mothers, BU opened its first lactation room last spring. Women can reserve time in the private room on the second floor of Human Resources, 25 Buick St., through the HR website, Gruber-Grunert says.

Bonnie Teitleman (SSW’83), director of the Faculty & Staff Assistance office, will talk about a variety of social and psychological concerns facing new parents as they return to work—including postpartum depression, separation anxiety from their baby, single parenthood, and the complexity and stress of redefining partners’ roles. She also plans to discuss how parents can cope with this new reality.

Returning to work is a source of stress for many new parents, Teitleman says, and “we don’t want to lose good people.”

The Boston University Maternity Program starts at 3 p.m. on Thursday, October 23, and is being held again on Wednesday, October 29, at 3 p.m., in Human Resources Conference Room 3, 25 Buick St., second floor. The sessions are free and open to BU employees. A Q&A period will follow each presentation. Registration is required.

For more information or questions about BU’s lactation room, contact Kristin Gruber-Grunert at lactroom@bu.edu.