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"Fourth Trimester” Club Connects New Moms

Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
U.S. Department of Agriculture
/
The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.

The first few months after having a baby is usually referred to as the “fourth trimester,” and while it’s a time of tremendous growth for baby, it’s a time when moms undergo a steep learning curve.  To help provide support during that time, Lee Health has introduced a new, bi-weekly program for new moms called the “Fourth Trimester Club”.

Every other Thursday, new moms bring their babies to the Healthy Lee facility in Coconut Point Mall to hear from therapists, midwives, lactation consultants and a host of other educators about the experiences they may be having as they maneuver the exhilarating yet terrifying first few months of having a baby. 

Today we’ll talk with Carrie Bloemers who puts together the club’s meetings about how these personal connections make a big difference for new moms.

Plus, we’ll talk with Carol Lawrence with Lee Health’s two breastmilk banks which have been open for a year now. She’ll discuss the need for these banks and how the community has responded. 

Copyright 2020 WGCU. To see more, visit WGCU.

Matthew Smith is a reporter and producer of WGCU’s Gulf Coast Live.
Julie Glenn is the host of Gulf Coast Live. She has been working in southwest Florida as a freelance writer since 2007, most recently as a regular columnist for the Naples Daily News. She began her broadcasting career in 1993 as a reporter/anchor/producer for a local CBS affiliate in Quincy, Illinois. After also working for the NBC affiliate, she decided to move to Parma, Italy where she earned her Master’s degree in communication from the University of Gastronomic Sciences. Her undergraduate degree in Mass Communication is from the University of Missouri at Kansas City.