Manual delivery

By Casey Neill
YOUNG Yarra Ranges mums have a new resource to help them through pregnancy and the early years of raising a child.
Melissa Macpherson was in Year 12 when she fell pregnant with daughter Natalia.
“I was scared, especially about telling anyone,” she said.
She relied on public transport to get her to doctor’s appointments until friends convinced her to tell her mother, who then drove her to the checkups. “But not everyone living out there has a mum who can do that for them,” she said.
Melissa was one of a number of young mothers who were instrumental in the development of Hey Babe…What if You’re Pregnant which was launched on 8 April.
It includes a poster, information card and CD for young women aged 15 to 21.
The free pack was developed through a partnership between the shire, Eastern Health, Women’s Health East and the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.
Yarra Valley Community Health manager Jane Judd was part of the consultation process .
“We found that a lot of young people didn’t have the resources they needed,” she said.
Jess Feltham was another member of the steering group that developed Hey Babe. She was 18 and completing her secondary studies when she fell pregnant with daughter Taliyah, 2.
“I wish that while I was pregnant and after having my daughter that this resource was available,” she said.
Eastern Health’s Janelle Russ said the program launch was ‘quite a landmark’.
“The next step with Hey Babe is getting it out on the road,” she said.
Ms Russ said there were plans to visit agencies, schools, maternal and child health clinics and GPs to introduce as many people as possible to the program.
“We’re going to get out there and talk about the experiences of young woman and pregnancy and the isolation they face,” she said.
Mayor Tim Heenan said Hey Babe would not only help mothers through pregnancy, but the first years of their child’s life.
“They don’t come with an instruction manual,” he said.