Q&A with Theola Carter

by Nathan J. Comp  L-r: Stephanie Johnson, St. Mary's; Gail Lobdell, St. Mary's; Theola Carter, Zeta hi Beta Sorority; Almeda Williams, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority; and Pamela Pfeffer, March of Dimes. Theola Carter, 42, is a making a big difference in the lives of young mothers to-be. Last year, she brought the Stork's Nest Project to Madison, a non-profit group that helps educate pregnant women, 25 years old and younger, about the importance of good prenatal care, in addition to providing them with medical services. Originally launched in 1974, Stork's Nest is a national project of Zeta The Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. and the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation. St. Mary's Hospital is a local partner for the Madison chapter. Carter, who has lived in Madison since 1987, has earned a 2008 YWCA Women of Distinction honor for her efforts.  She spoke to The Madison Times this week about the importance of prenatal care and why some young mothers are reluctant to seek it.  TMT: How does prenatal care contribute to a child's long-term well-being? TC: What we do isn't going to make sure that every child has a healthy outcome, but we do know that you can improve outcomes by not being involved with drugs or alcohol, learning healthy eating habits, good exercise and nutrition, these all give it a better chance of a healthy birth. What we try and do is dissuade young women from their risky behaviors. If we can help them learn these healthier habits, then hopefully they'll pass on to their children these healthier habits. TMT: What disadvantages might a child face if it doesn't receive good prenatal care? TC: A disadvantage could be that they're born with disabilities. If they're born addicted, they might go through withdrawal or they might face other illnesses like Downs Syndrome. TMT:  Aside from drug issues, what are some other reasons expectant mothers might not seek prenatal care? TC: The age group that we target, some of them get scared, others think they don't need it, some of them are just totally uninformed about what they need to be doing to keep their child healthy, but themselves healthy in the process. You're looking at not just the child being healthy, but the mother being healthy, as well. TMT: So education is a big component of what you do? TC: Education is a very big component of what we do. Stork's Nest has two components: it has education and it has services. The young ladies come to the nest for classes, and in exchange, they're awarded points for attending classes and issues points when they make their doctor’s appointments and things of that nature. Those points, which we call baby bucks or Stork's Nest dollars, they're issued in exactly like a funny money sort of thing, and that money can be redeemed to buy bottles, blankets, baby tubs, formula, diapers, wipes and things of that nature. TMT: Since you opened in November, what's the response been like? TC: We have enrolled in our classes to date 12 young ladies, and this is our first class. It's taught in a nine-session component, and they'll be finishing their session within two months. As people learn about it, we get lots of questions about who's eligible, and that person has to be 25-years-old or younger and planning to deliver at St. Mary's Hospital. We teach them everything from health, nutrition, drugs, alcohol and resources in the community for them. TMT: Do you find that the girls are supportive of each other? TC: Yeah, that's something we've noticed in happening. We've already had one baby that was born since the class began. She came back and began telling the girls about her experience, and they started building this camaraderie with each other. Some of them, we do tell them to bring in their significant other, because we will educate the baby's father, too. As a matter of fact, we encourage it.