Babies celebrate first Halloween with new mom support group

Babies from all over McHenry County celebrated their first Halloween in adorable costumes, from pumpkins and skeletons to broccoli and pea pods. The party was hosted by Advocate Health Care’s Baby Bistro, a free mother-to-mother support group that helps moms grow confidence while navigating the new world of raising a child.

Island Lake mom Jillena Hill dressed up her 2-month-old daughter Blair as a Cabbage Patch doll.

“I thought of it because she has really chunky cheeks, and we always call her our little Cabbage Patch because she’s our own little doll,” Hill said.

She delivered her baby at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital near Barrington and was introduced to the Baby Bistro community by her nurse. She started going to the weekly meetings two weeks postpartum to find comfort and help through fellow new moms.

“It also gave me the confidence to bring my baby out for the first time, to learn how to put the car seat in by myself and bring her in the stroller by herself,” she said.

Baby Bistro’s meetings are a place where moms can bring questions, connect with other new families and find a community while they adjust to the challenges of the first year of parenthood. The group started more than 10 years ago with a focus on breastfeeding support. An Advocate Health Care news release cited a study indicating that more than 70% of participants had difficulty breastfeeding, with most of the issues arising in the first month of life. Over the years, Baby Bistro has evolved to be a “new-mom support group,” said Advocate Health Care certified lactation consultant Jill Burman, who has been running Baby Bistro for the past five years.

“It has been really great to get together with a group of women who are all going through the same things at the same time,” Hill said in the release.

The free group does not require registration and welcomes all moms with babies up to 1 year old, regardless of where they delivered or their feeding preference, Burman said. The group sees about 12 to 25 moms each week. Many times, Burman will bring in experts in mental health or developmental and pelvic floor therapists to provide further resources.

“We really want moms to have a community of other moms who are going through the journey of having a newborn,” she said. “It can be difficult, whether it’s your first or your fourth.”

Most Advocate hospitals offer something similar, but this is the only community of this kind in the immediate area, Burman said.

“We want to help these moms make these memories in this first year and just uplift them as moms and empower them that they’re doing a great job,” Burman said.

Burman said she finds it most rewarding to see moms grow confidence and start giving advice to new moms coming in. Plus, there are all of the holiday parties that ultimately aim to keep moms from feeling isolated, especially during the winter months.

“You want to create those memories and do those footprints, but sometimes it becomes overwhelming,” Hill said. “It’s nice to be able to go to this party and have this fun atmosphere and document these milestones with her.”

Baby Bistro meets from 10:30 a.m. to noon Thursdays in the hospital’s Integrative Medicine Conference Room. Here is where you can find more details on Advocate Health Care’s Baby Bistro: advocatehealth.com/gshp/health-services/obstetrics.