Kelly became a participant in the Healthy Families program when a friend referred her shortly after the arrival of her first child. She did not fit the normal characteristics that identified families most in need. She was married, had a college education, stable income, and a beautiful home.  However, she had never seen herself as a mother and had little knowledge of child development or how to nurture a child. She was reading books on the subject but was struggling with bonding with her baby.  She easily became frustrated and angry at the baby and felt overwhelmed at how to care for her and frequently expressed that she didn’t want to be a mom.  

A caring friend called Healthy Families and requested we talk to her.  Kelly welcomed the home visits and became an eager participant.  She was open and honest in her lack of feelings for her baby.  Her Family Support Worker helped her identify more lovingly with her baby.  Kelly realized she had never been loved and accepted by her own mom and now she could not identify with her own role as a mother.  Through home visits, Kelly came to see the positive aspects of motherhood and month by month began to fall in love with her baby.  She now has a second child and has accepted him from the moment she realized she was pregnant even though the pregnancy was unexpected.  While Kelly struggles with the normal day to day stress of having two babies close in age, she delights in her children and truly has bonded with them both as bonding is critical to preventing abuse and neglect in children. She continues to work with her Family Support Worker to build on this healthy mother-child relationship.