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60 maconmagazine.com | December 2024/January 2025 go to church, they're looking to their pastor or their faith leader to give them encouragement. When they go to the city hall or to the downtown square, they're looking to their civic leaders, people who they trust in, to give them good advice," he said. In the home, care workers like Prime's doula service can help with both essential tasks for the mother-baby pair as well as noticing aspects of her health. Clients can ask Prime to watch the baby while they rest, take their older child to school or do light housekeeping. During these tasks, Prime is on alert for how to support the mom's healing: "What do you mean, you're short of breath? Just walking to the bathroom? What do you mean, you still have this swelling and it's been almost two months that you've had this baby?" She explained, "When they don't know, they're just kind of suff ering in silence. To have somebody to advocate for them or to educate them so that they have the knowledge, that's what's going to keep people safe in the postpartum period. We have to do it together." Prime's training means she can take blood pressure, do quick assessments just to make sure that mom is recovering, or assist with anxious questions about child development. In other countries, postpartum home visits from nurses, midwives, or other welfare professionals are commonly part of the healthcare system and eliminate barriers to care. People rarely know to ask for a postpartum doula, Prime said, and having insurance cover the service would signifi cantly improve access. Instead, they reach out to her and just ask for help, or for lactation support, much of which is insurance-covered. From there, Prime fi nds a way to provide some extra support and give a mother permission to ask for more. Even if they can't aff ord her services, "Their ears are open, and they will call their mom or they will call their friend to come over and assist them. And that's all I want, is for somebody else to be in that space to help that family navigate the postpartum period." Prime started the It Takes a Village Maternal Health Expo to bring other supportive professionals and organizations in one room, so pregnant people in Central Georgia can understand what services are available. From the county health department to mental health counselors to massage therapists, these are off ers that expectant or new mothers may not know are out there. Nonprofi ts that provide a social safety net are essential, said our experts. Many identifi ed Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia as This is the rst of a two-part series. Read more about education and workforce development in our 2025 Women's Issue. To dive in now, read an extended version of our interview with these experts and nd a resource guide for maternal health at maconmagazine.com Window Cleaning | Pressure Washing Soft Washing | Gutter Cleaning Servicing the Middle Georgia area 478-785-0550 helpful alongside wraparound services that address social determinants of health like food banks or family violence shelters. A future story will address the role of higher education in research, outreach, and workforce development. It will take time, Callins noted, to see a diff erence from the eff orts being made today. But for now, she cites "enthusiastic momentum that is advancing equity and improvement in maternal healthcare in Georgia, especially in rural and underserved communities." There is still change to be made, but "state and community leaders and legislators continue leading the way with protocols and policies that are essential to healthcare transformation that will improve outcome for mothers and infants."