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MOMobile Jumpstarts Families The Maternity Care Coalition's yellow "MOMobile" stopped on a street in the heart of North Philadelphia. From inside the van, I watched as a pregnant woman and her brother approached. They were given disposable diapers, baby bottles and rattles pulled from the confines of the large brightly colored vehicle. In the year to come, this family would receive more than baby-care necessities - they would be provided with the knowledge and power to thrive on their own. I was fortunate enough to spend a day riding in a MOMobile through Philadelphia to get a first-hand look at this program for high-risk populations. MOMobile vans are registered to nine sites with advocates working in communities where infant mortality, low birth weights, poverty, abuse, drugs, teen pregnancy and neglect run rampant. The MOMobile advocates, who are from similar backgrounds themselves, combat these traditional problems in a nonconventional manner by identifying and aiding over 2,000 pregnant women and their families through outreach on the streets, by foot and by van.

Helping families help themselves In order to be the best possible parents, MOMobile clients need to first help themselves. The MOMobile serves as a reference point to community programs such as food and housing assistance, medical care and drug treatment. Advocates ensure that the mothers attend all appointments for prenatal and postpartum care, and that the babies receive necessary immunizations. Because the MOMobile advocates end their services after the child's first birthday, birth control and other forms of health education are emphasized. As a result, the effects of the MOMobile will perpetuate and promote this positive approach to pregnancy far into the future. And the mother and child are not the only participants in the MOMobile program. Fathers and the other children in the family are encouraged to be active in the pregnancy and infancy stages because their involvement is also crucial to a healthy, happy start for new babies. Only with the entire family's cooperative efforts can babies grow up to be children who are able and ready to learn, in school and in life. For me, riding in the yellow van proved that the MOMobile's motto -- "Strengthening families, one baby at a time" -- holds true. When we stopped at a run-down house, I admit that I felt a bit nervous. Four adorable children waved to us through the front window. Inside the house, a baby girl -- the primary focus of this visit -- was taking her first steps in her baby walker. A MOMobile advocate, who had become as much of a friend as an advisor to the family, used humor and positive reinforcement to guide the new mother. The yellow van took us to many more places that day. As I sat in the cab back to WHYY, I realized how exhausted and exhilarated I was. My experience with the MOMobile made me so much more grateful for what I have been given in life. I also felt lucky to have met the program advocates who are trying to change the luck of these precious babies born into difficult circumstances. by Himani Shah Himani Shah, an undergraduate student at Harvard University, interned with WHYY's Ready to Learn program.