Client story – Jennifer.
At age 18, Jennifer found out that she was pregnant. She was excited but apprehensive about the road ahead. During her first visit at a local health clinic, she felt overwhelmed.
When Jennifer signed up for Nurse-Family Partnership in Greenville, South Carolina, she was paired with nurse home visitor Lisa, who guided her through pregnancy and early motherhood. “The visits were wonderful,” Jennifer said. “Before Jayden was born, Lisa taught me everything from what I should eat, to what labor was going to be like, to performing CPR, to sleeping practices — everything.”
Jennifer earned her GED while pregnant with Jayden, and after he was born, Nurse-Family Partnership helped her learn time management since she was working and continuing her education. Nurse-Family Partnership also helped her through the emotional changes that came when she and Jayden’s father, Matthew, separated after Jayden was born. Jennifer had no family living close to her, but she said she never felt alone during that difficult time.
“It was just amazing that someone from Nurse-Family Partnership was always there for me,” Jennifer said. “I was never alone because I could always call Lisa for support or answers, whether good or bad. She was always there waiting to help me whenever I needed it.”
Lisa helped Jennifer find ways to achieve economic self-sufficiency, one of the key goals of the Nurse-Family Partnership® program. For Jennifer, her heart’s desire was to finish her education and pursue a career in healthcare.
When Jayden was four months old, Jennifer enrolled in ECPI University in Greenville to earn her associate degree in applied health sciences. For 16 months, Jennifer parented and helped care for Matthew’s sick grandmother during the day and attended school in the evenings.
“I wouldn’t get home until almost 11 every night after an already packed day,” Jennifer said. “It was exhausting, but I don’t regret going back to school, because now I am in a place where I love my job and I have goals for my career.”
When Jayden was eight months old, Lisa became a site nurse supervisor for Nurse-Family Partnership and stopped making home visits. Jennifer asked to be paired with Veronica, another nurse who had worked with Lisa and had often visited her home. Veronica and Jennifer quickly bonded as they focused on Jayden’s development and planned for the journey ahead. Veronica would now continue home visits with Jennifer until her son’s second birthday.
At age 18, Jennifer found out that she was pregnant. She was excited but apprehensive about the road ahead. During her first visit at a local health clinic, she felt overwhelmed.
“She wasn’t prepared, and nobody ever really is, but I could just hear the determination in her voice,” Veronica said of their first meeting. “She would get emotional because she didn’t know what her future held, and she was really looking to Nurse-Family Partnership for guidance and advice on what road to take next. At the end of the day she made all the choices, but she needed the community resources and support that could help her.”
Veronica was able to draw from personal experience when working with Jennifer. She said her own pregnancy as a teenager brings her closer to her clients.
“I was a single parent at 19, and I didn’t understand what was going on or what to expect,” Veronica said tearfully. “The whole time I kept asking God what I was being prepared for, and when I became a nurse, everything was so much clearer. I found my passion in nursing and it led me to Nurse-Family Partnership. I went through what I went through as a young mother because I was being prepared to guide my clients and support them as they strive for their heart’s desire.”
Veronica and Jennifer worked together to make plans for Jennifer’s future and to give Jayden the support he needed to develop into the happy, healthy, bright toddler he is today. Veronica also helped Jennifer find community support organizations that contributed to the cost of childcare and a car seat.
“Veronica was a huge help for me with resources, but most of all, she kept me positive and focused on the road ahead,” Jennifer said. “She told me to keep going, to keep striving for more and more in everything I did.”
Jennifer and Matthew, Jayden’s father, eventually reunited, marrying in August 2011. Since that time, Jennifer earned her associate degree and now works for the Greenville Hospital System in pediatrics. She hopes to one day become an RN and help mothers the same way Nurse-Family Partnership has helped her.
“It’s hard work being a mom, and it’s going to be even harder to go back to school again, but that’s what I learned through the program — to follow through with your dreams to build the life you want for your family,” Jennifer said. “I recommend the program to women every day where I work. It truly has made a better life for my family.”
Veronica said watching Jennifer interact with Jayden through his toddlerhood was one of the best experiences she had while working with the family. Knowing that Jennifer had a difficult childhood, it was inspiring to see the way she approached motherhood.
“There is such a beautiful, strong bond between Jennifer and her son,” Veronica said. “She is giving her child an upbringing that she didn’t have. It was so wonderful to watch that love grow over time. Nurse-Family Partnership gave me the opportunity to see overwhelming change and strength in Jennifer. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
And today, Jennifer and Matthew’s home is full of an endearing call-and-response:
“I love you,” Jennifer says.
“How much,” Jayden asks.
“I love you to the moon,” Jennifer responds.
And with a smile, Jayden says, “And back, Cracker Jack.”
This Nurse-Family Partnership program is implemented through Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center in Greenville, South Carolina.
Download the entire client story >>