Applied Projects
Support for Families with Young Infants

Research shows that emotional support during the postpartum period reduces mothers' risk of postpartum depression, feelings of isolation, and stress. We also know that mothers who feel well-supported by trusted individuals are more likely to be sensitive and emotionally available to their infants, and their infants are more likely to develop feelings of security and trust.

On these bases, our home visiting program, Mom-to-Mom (established in 1999), is aimed at supporting mothers who have difficulty coping with the physical and emotional demands of caring for themselves and their infants. Home visitors are volunteers (and mothers) who are trained and supervised by our staff. Home visits are weekly (up to one year postpartum) and aim to encourage, nurture, and increase the confidence of mothers of young infants so that they can better meet the responsibility for their babies' growth and development. The service is provided free of charge, thanks to the Irving Harris Foundation (Chicago, USA) and private donations.

Our project ties Hebrew University to the community, and we consider it a privilege to work with women who want to help other women through an out-reach project that can improve the health and well-being of families. To date, we have trained more than 600 home-visitors and visited more than 900 families. The project serves as a model for a number of sister-projects throughout Israel and in Australia. (For more information on our basket of services, see: http://emlemmomtomom.wix.com/emlemmomtomom).