A new baby means big changes in the home, no matter how experienced and confident the mom. And rare is the woman who couldn’t benefit from a kind word from a knowledgeable and helpful health care professional.

But the fact is resources are scarce and it makes sense to target funds toward women and families in need. Up until now, all new moms in Coquitlam, Port Moody, Port Coquitlam, New Westminster, Maple Ridge and Burnaby were offered a visit by a public health nurse no matter how well they were doing or how much support they had in the home.

Now, these women will only see a nurse if one is deemed necessary based on answers to questions asked by a nurse over the phone.

The health authority says this change wasn’t brought about because of funding cuts but because more emphasis is now being placed on pre-natal care, where officials believe they will get more bang for their buck.

With the rise in Caesarean births and low-weight babies leading to health issues later in life, Fraser Health authorities may be on to something. It does make sense to support expectant moms so their babies will be as healthy as possible.

All moms will be now be assessed so the Best Beginnings program is an expansion in this regard.

Still, this program’s success depends on a woman’s ability to self assess and requires public health nurses to be able to detect signs of stress without a face-to-face visit.

Nothing beats a face-to-face visit for a thorough evaluation yet it seems prudent to give Best Beginnings a try to see if healthier babies are being delivered and if more needy women are getting access to a wider variety of services.

Will some women fall through the cracks? Possibly. Do all women benefit from some contact with their public health nurse? Yes.

But they can still call their local public health clinic or visit it in person so a trained professional can gauge the health of their baby between doctor visits.

– Tri-City News (Black Press)