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Welcome back to episode 2 of 3 celebrating and providing hope to others for prematurity awareness month. Mattie does a beautiful job of sharing details about her first time holding Malachi and describes some of the emotional battles tied to surgeries and healing that she and Josh faced. Episode One of Mattie's Journey

Mattie and Josh Davis will celebrate their son's 2nd birthday in December, who was born at just 22 weeks and 3 days gestation. Prematurity Awareness Month is observed every November to raise awareness about the causes, risks, and impacts of preterm birth. Today Oklahoma Family Network releases the first of three episodes sharing a family story in honor of prematurity awareness.   In these three prematurity awareness episodes, Mattie Davis will give us a glimpse into the world of terms like micro-preemie, NEC, BPD, periviable, and so much more.   Malachi born at just 22 weeks and 3 days to Josh and Mattie will leave you speechless and truly believing in miracles.

Oklahoma Family Network's Executive Director sits down with mom of three and executive director of Oklahoma Rare to discuss mental health and some of the challenges she and her family faced with her daughter and her care.

Wondering how to help your child get a head start on reading? Join us for a session on early literacy and simple, easy ways you can support them at home all year long. We'll share easy, everyday activities you can blend into your routine (no worksheets required) that build real reading skills.

When your best friend experiences postpartum psychosis and you are unable to stop the absolute worst from happening, you share your story, ideas, and support to others in an attempt to help others understand and know the difference between baby blues and other more serious perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. Maternal Morbidity Statistics are not a statistic when you know the person and people they represent.  "Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMADs) is the umbrella term for mood and anxiety disorders that occur during pregnancy or up to one year postpartum. These terms encompass women (and men) who experience postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, postpartum anxiety, postpartum OCD, postpartum blues, postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder and postpartum psychosis. When possible, encourage moms to have a Postpartum Plan to help identify her support system and what they can do to help create a supportive environment for after the birth. A postpartum plan is a plan that includes a set of steps that a mother identifies before the baby is born to set her up for success after the birth. This can include: Scheduled sleep or "naps." If the mother has prior children or is postpartum this would be when an alternate caregiver is available. Appropriate nutrition/meal plans that can be made simply and without additional stress. Drinking plenty of water for hydration. Scheduled calls/video chats from support systems (family, friends, church, etc.) Short walks around the neighborhood for increased physical activity and Vitamin D exposure. Doing things that help her feel more "normal" such as taking a bath, and watching her favorite TV show."   Additional Post Partum Support Can Be Found: https://oklahoma.gov/health/health-education/children---family-health/improving-infant-outcomes/maternal-mental-health.html (Oklahoma Resources) https://postpartum.net/ (National)

Lauren Alvarez, M.A. helps us look at great information from experts in the field of neuroscience and ADHD to build a better understanding of what is going on in the ADHD brain and effective strategies for individuals, parents and schools to help manage the brain and behaviors to benefit all involved. Presentation:  https://canva.link/5s93ffiy8l8l0m9

Sam The I Can Man Foundation | Grant Giving Non-Profit Featuring the Sam, The I Can Man Foundation Learn about: Services and Opportunities offered by the Sam, The I Can Man Foundation Honor the life of Sam “The I Can Man” by giving people with differing abilities the opportunity to realize they can too!​ "Sam Weyrich (2000-2024) was a vibrant, fun, young man who had significant disabilities due to a demyelinating disorder called Aicardi Goutieres Syndrome (AGS). Sam lived each moment of each day fully. He sported a huge smile, never complained, and inspired us to live… ​Sam coined the name "The I Can Man" when he taught us that despite his differing abilities, he was capable of anything.  ​Because of Sam’s “I Can Too” mentality, these are many things that Sam did and we hope they might give you inspiration as to what YOU can do… Horseback Riding Adaptive Baseball Grand Canyon River Rafting Skiing Ropes Courses Zip Lining Rock Climbing Running Swimming Dancing ​Art Class Boating Fishing Swimming with Dolphins Archery Biking Tubing Attending Concerts and Musicals Attending Sports Games and Tailgates Going to the Kentucky Derby And so much more!

Welcome to the sixth and final release of my conversation with Salena King-Coughlin. As an educator and researcher, Salena digs into the numbers of Oklahoma families who are tied to maternal morbidity. She shares ideas and additional ways to plan or advocate when you truly feel like you have exhausted all advocacy avenues.  I am so grateful to Salena for sharing her story and experience. She is a wife, educator, infant mental health specialist, Oklahoman, and mom who wants to better her community and state for those giving birth!   I know we are both hopeful that by Salena sharing her experience it will provide awareness, education, and conversation to the topic of maternal morbidity and mortality, as well as support for others who have experienced similar birth trauma and postpartum complications.  We don’t have all the answers, but I know we should all feel comfortable becoming part of the conversation and solution to help keep mothers and babies safe throughout pregnancy, delivery, and the postpartum period.  On behalf of Salena and myself I want to say thank you for listening to the hard conversation describing what Salena and her family walked through.    Every mom matters; every life matters!

Part five of Salena’s story continues to focus on her postpartum journey of advocacy, CT scans, readmission, and survival. Thank you for listening to one story that represents many more. It’s not easy to walk back through the trauma of what happened, and we are incredibly grateful that Salena could share her story with us, and you felt brave enough to listen. This is part five of six of my conversation with Salena. Thank you for joining us and helping us provide a little context to maternal morbidity and mortality.

Welcome to part four of my conversation with Salena King-Coughlin. In today’s episode, we begin our discussion on the postpartum experience and care Salena had. Salena has walked us through her pregnancy, delivery, NICU, and now we begin hearing about what it was like for her in the period of postpartum, or what has been termed, "the 4th trimester".  Thank you for allowing us to break down a long conversation into smaller, digestible episodes, each shedding a new light on different aspects of maternal morbidity and mortality.

Welcome back for part three with Salena King-Coughlin. If you haven't had the opportunity to listen to parts one and two, we hope you'll go back and listen to catch up on how we got here.  Salena's daughter, Sophia, landed in NICU, and this episode walks us through the emotional stress of this experience from someone who understands and studies infant mental health and attachment.     We are so thankful for Salena sharing her story and helping so many others understand how heavy this is to carry as a parent.

We continue our conversation with Salena King-Coughlin as she shares details about her delivery and some of the chaos that ensues. She shares ways she advocated for herself and her baby, as well as some moments that are hard for many to comprehend.

Salena King-Coughlin is mom to Sophia and wife to Tyler. She has her PhD, Infant Mental Health Endorsement, is a Certified Family Life Educator, and at the time of our recording was pursuing her graduate certificate in public health. Her journey through pregnancy, delivery, NICU, and recovery is the focus of this series tied to Maternal Morbidity and Mortality.     Thank you, Salena, for sharing your experience and helping others learn how to advocate for themselves or the mothers and babies in their lives.

Today we’re diving into an issue which is important to Meske and affects thousands of Oklahoma families, though it doesn’t always get the attention it deserves: early developmental screenings. Meske provided We Saved You A Seat with lots of statistics: 65% of Oklahoma children between 9 and 35 months old are not receiving developmental screenings. Early intervention from birth costs ≈ $37,000 per child. Delayed intervention starting at age 6 costs ≈ $53,000. ➝ $16,000 more per child when we wait. In a 2016 Quality of Care report, OHCA shared that only 16.4% of children received a developmental screening during their first three years of life. The same 2016 report also noted that 56.5% of children aged three to six covered by SoonerCare received recommended well-child visits, compared to 72.2% nationally. https://www.okhca.org/about.aspx?id=22619 Every $1 spent on early screening and intervention yields up to $17 in societal savings. (Healthcare, special ed, justice system) When kids are identified early for developmental delays or challenges, it can change the entire trajectory of their lives. They can get the support, resources, and interventions that help them thrive at home, at school, and in their communities. When screenings don’t happen — or happen too late — children and families are left struggling, and often the cost to both the family and the state is much greater down the road. This conversation is especially important right now, because an interim study on developmental screenings is scheduled at the Oklahoma State Capitol on October 2nd from 9:00 to 11:30 AM in Room 5S2.  This study was introduced by Representative Ellen Pogemiller and it grew from a constituent’s story — Meske and her boys’ journey through the system. Meske knows firsthand why early screenings matter, and today she’s here to share how her family’s experience is shaping policy conversations at the state level. If you care about giving kids the best start in life, here’s one simple action you can take whether you are able to show your support in person or not- contact your legislator and ask them to attend the October 2nd interim study. The more lawmakers hear these stories and see the data, the better chance we have of building a system that works for families across Oklahoma.  We encourage people to be there for this interim study or watch online-if you're a parent on this journey, an educator, therapist or someone who just wants to learn more, there is something for all of us to learn.

If there is a resource out there, there's a good chance Meske has found it. Meske has been trained in Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI), Partners in Policymaking (PIP), Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), Circle of Security and so many others. In this episode, Meske provides us with a glimpse into her experience with SoonerStart, Early Head Start, the struggle of trying to navigate public transportation, and highlights so many other wonderful resources Oklahoman's have access to, but doesn't always know where to find them or who to ask. This episode truly mentions and speaks briefly on some of the resources Meske has utilized or knows about and we have provided links to all of them below, should you want to know more. TBRI:  https://child.tcu.edu/about-us/tbri/#sthash.sO4iWECF.dpbs   Lilyfield: Lilyfield   Empower OKC:  EmpowerOKC   Circle of Security:  Circle of Security International    Sunbeam Family Services:  Homepage | Sunbeam   SoonerStart:  SoonerStart   Making Sense of your Worth: Making Sense of Your Worth - Halo Project