MoBap donates 6,400 packages of diapers

Although the “dirtiest job” in parenthood may be the diaper change, many take for granted the ability to grab a fresh diaper for every change.

According to the National Diaper Bank Network, one in three families in the United States is affected by “diaper need,” or the lack of a sufficient supply of diapers to keep their baby clean, dry and healthy. Diapers cost about $1,000 per year for one child, which can place a significant strain on low-income families.

“There is virtually no public assistance provided to help families in need purchase diapers, and we see that need, first-hand, in our community,” says Jessica Adams, founder and executive director of St. Louis Area Diaper Bank. “New parents have so many decisions to make, but no parent should have to face the choice between diapers and food.”

To address this need among expecting families in the community, in 2017 Missouri Baptist Medical Center committed to donating one pack of diapers to the St. Louis Area Diaper Bank for every Childbirth Center tour it gave between Labor Day 2017 and Labor Day 2018.

“Clean diapers are essential to a child’s overall health and well-being, from newborns to toddlers,” says Joel Koenig, MD. “Children should not be in a soiled diaper for a long period of time, and without access to clean diapers there is an increase in chronic diaper rashes, staph infections and urinary tract infections.”

Over the past year, tour guests left a tally mark on a banner at the MBMC Childbirth Center, which helped total the number of packs to 1,600. Thanks to an anonymous match, that total increased to 3,200. When the order was placed with Huggies Diapers, the company also matched, which allowed MBMC to donate 6,400 packs of diapers — impacting 3,200 St. Louis area babies in a single month.

The impact was so significant that, in honor of 2018 National Diaper Need Awareness Week, MBMC is continuing its commitment for another year.

“We love welcoming expecting parents to our Childbirth Center for tours, because meeting our amazing nurses really makes the moment real for future MoBap families,” says Pam Brouder, RN, MSN, MBMC women and infants director. “Now our parents-to-be will know they are directly supporting parents in need, simply by visiting us.”

MoBap welcomes Baby Blue Notes

Missouri Baptist Medical Center staff members reached out to their friends at the St. Louis Blues for help with the special delivery on Sept. 5. Through a new partnership, every baby born at MBMC during the 2018-2019 hockey season will become a teammate of the MoBap Baby Blue Notes. Baby Blue Notes will receive an exclusive branded onesie and a certificate with signatures from Blues mascot Louie and Hockey Hall of Famer Brett Hull.