Beautiful Beginnings, Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program (CPNP): supports pregnant and parenting mothers to give birth to healthy babies through meals, food vouchers, vitamin supplements and educational opportunities. Clients can access prenatal, natal, and postnatal up to and including the child’s first birthday. Beautiful Beginnings is a community-based program providing support to pregnant and post-partum women who may be facing conditions of risk that could threaten their health and that of their babies.

Program Goals:
CPNP aims to reduce the incidence of unhealthy birth weights, improve the health of both mother and infant and to encourage breastfeeding. The program’s primary goal is healthy birth weight babies, born to confident, well-informed parents within a close network of support.

Program Components:
The Beautiful Beginnings Program offers participants a weekly nutritious lunch, workshops with guest speakers, formal and informal sessions, free prenatal vitamins, a weekly $10 food voucher and access to a hospital-grade breast pump.

The group meets on Mondays between the hours of 10am-2pm at the Family Resource Centre. One-on-one support and home visits are also available. Every second Wednesday afternoon there is an additional women’s support group that deals with issues around depression.

Workshops include early brain development, first aid, nutrition, immunization, breastfeeding, birth options, massage and reflexology, smoking, alcohol and drug use in pregnancy, attachment, car seat and home safety, post-partum depression and stress management. Participants are encouraged to plan and/or facilitate workshops themselves.

The Infant Development Program, Supported Child Development Program, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy are also on site, as is the Community Closet and vegetable garden.

The Parent/Child Mother Goose Program is also offered several times a year through Beautiful Beginnings.

Eligibility:
In order to participate in Beautiful Beginnings you must be pregnant, or contemplating pregnancy, or within the first six months of the post-partum period. CPNP targets pregnant women living in poverty; teens; women living in isolation or with poor access to services; those with addictions; diabetes; Aboriginal and immigrant women. However, any pregnant woman who wishes to attend is welcome, regardless of her life circumstances.

Beautiful Beginnings
Call for a calendar & schedule
767 11th Avenue,
Castlegar, B.C. V1N 1J7
250-365-3662 fax 365-5792
E-mail - cpnp.kfp@telus.net

Additional Links:
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/dca-dea/programs-mes/cpnp_main_e.html
http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Health/Population_Health/Press/cpnp.html
http://www.hlth.gov.bc.ca/prevent/pregnancy.html