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,” said Jessica Adams, founder & 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, 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 wellbeing, from newborns to toddlers,” said Joel Koenig, M.D., chief of pediatrics at Missouri Baptist. “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 MoBap 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, they also matched which allows MoBap to donate 6,400 packs of diaper.
Missouri Baptist reached out to their friends at the St. Louis Blues for help with the special delivery. Through a new partnership, every baby born at MoBap during the 2018-2019 hockey season will become a teammate of the MoBap Baby Blue Notes. Baby Blue Notes will be awarded a certificate with signatures from Blues mascot Louie and Hockey Hall of Fame player Brett Hull. Among other benefits, they will receive an exclusive branded onesie and the opportunity to be featured on the big screen at Enterprise Center during a home game.
To schedule a tour of the MoBap Childbirth Center, visit MoBapBaby.org/Tour or call 314-996-5433 and to learn more about the MoBap Baby Blue Notes club, visit MoBapBaby.org/BabyBlueNotes.
About Missouri Baptist Medical Center:
Missouri Baptist is a 489-bed acute-care hospital located in west St. Louis County and offers a full continuum of medical and surgical services, specializing in heart, cancer, gastrointestinal, orthopedic, neurological/spine and women’s health services. U.S News and Report ranked Missouri Baptist Medical Center No. 1 in St. Louis County, No. 2 in the St. Louis Metro Area and No. 3 in Missouri. MoBap’s newly renovated Childbirth Center offers a personalized birth experience for families, with support from the only Magnet®-recognized nursing team in St. Louis County. The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at MoBap partners with St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Washington University Neonatologists and Pediatricians.
Missouri Baptist Medical Center is a member of BJC HealthCare, one of the largest nonprofit health care organizations in the United States and the largest employer in St. Louis. Based in St. Louis, BJC serves residents in Missouri and southern Illinois through its 15 hospitals and multiple health service organizations.
About the St. Louis Diaper Bank:
The St. Louis Area Diaper Bank exists to help strengthen low-income families in the St. Louis region by ensuring access to an adequate supply of diapers and by raising awareness about the causes and consequences of diaper need in our community. They supply diapers to 35 nonprofit organizations in the St. Louis area, which then distribute the diapers to families in need. In 2017, the St. Louis Area Diaper Bank distributed over one million diapers through partner agencies, serving over 35,000 children. For more information, visit stldiaperbank.org.