Are you expecting a baby this fall? Do you want to help educate a nursing student while receiving extra support during your pregnancy and labour?

Mothers-to-be who will be having their babies in the Fraser Valley are once again invited to help a UCFV nursing student learn about pregnancy and childbirth from the patient's perspective. Women having their babies at MSA, Langley or Chilliwack hospitals are eligible for this program.  

More than 150 students have had the opportunity to "shadow" a pregnant woman through doctor visits, prenatal classes, labour and delivery, and the postnatal period through the Mums-to-be program over the past decade.  

"It's been a wonderful opportunity for our students. It gives them a chance to experience the pregnancy and birth process up close from the perspective of the mother and her family," says program coordinator Karen Davidson, of UCFV's Nursing department. "We have also had positive feedback from mothers involved in the program. They have told us that they appreciate the students' support, both emotionally and in practical terms--especially during labour."  

The students complete this component of the program before they study the theory of maternity nursing and before they take "clinical" education on maternity wards.  

Women who are due between now and December and who will be having their babies at Chilliwack , Langley or MSA hospitals are eligible to participate in the Mums-to-be program. If you agree to participate, the student nurse will meet you (and your partner if applicable) for a "get to know you chat," come with you on one visit to the doctor, come with you to one prenatal class, give you and your partner support during all of your labour and delivery, and visit you afterwards.