Tuesday, January 20, 2015
By Denise Dick
YOUNGSTOWN
Mothers and mothers-to-be learned about the proper nutrition, health and care of their little ones during the Citywide Baby Shower.
It’s the ninth annual event presented by the Associated Neighborhood Centers at the McGuffey Centre on Monday.
Joy Dixon, one of the organizers, said they plan the event to coincide with Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
“It’s giving back, helping out and community service,” she said.
The shower is open to pregnant women, mothers with children up to 3 years old and their little ones.
Vendors, including Help Me Grow and Akron Children’s Hospital and other agencies and organizations, provide information about services available as well as tips and precautions for the mothers and their children.
Monday marked the first time Natalie Byers attended the shower, bringing tiny daughter, Na’Tyce Jordan-Byers, her first child.
“My first and last for awhile,” she joked.
Byers learned about the shower from her sister and since it involved babies and Dr. King, she decided to check it out.
She was glad she did, saying she learned a lot of valuable information.
“It’s interesting and it’s entertaining,” Byers said.
Victoria Pettway always heard about the shower but thought it was just for expectant moms.
She learned from the people who work with her at Help Me Grow that it’s open to mothers too.
She brought her son, Bryson Gilmore, three months, who sat quietly on her lap between naps.
Pettway said she learned about baby products and more about her child’s health.
A representative from Akron Children’s Hospital Sickle Cell Program delivered a presentation on sickle cell disease. While the disease is most common in African Americans, people of all races can get it, he said.
The disease is genetic, not contagious.