Hold My Heart

01/18/2026

The Cooperative's Family Connects NJ is delighted to share exciting news: New Jersey’s universal home visiting program, Family Connects NJ, will expand nurse home visits starting January 20, 2026 in Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May and Salem Counties.

This expansion means Family Connects NJ will soon be available in all seven South Jersey counties —and eventually, all 21 counties statewide.

Family Connects NJ offers families the opportunity to receive a free, personalized home visit from a specially trained nurse within the first two weeks after their child’s birth. These visits are available to all families, regardless of income, insurance coverage, immigration status or family structure. This includes adoptive families, resource parents, kinship caregivers and families experiencing stillbirth or neonatal loss.

The immediate postpartum period—often called the fourth trimester—is an exciting yet challenging time for families. New Jersey is committed to supporting families during this transition through Family Connects NJ.

During each visit, nurses conduct a comprehensive assessment of the family's health and wellbeing, serving as an important touchpoint for anticipatory guidance and help fostering stronger communication between families and their medical homes. By making these services universally available, Family Connects NJ aims to improve health outcomes for families across New Jersey.

🌐Learn more about Family Connects NJ by clicking on this link ➡️ https://www.familyconnectsnj.org



New Jersey Department of Children and Families Family Connects International

06/26/2025

03/26/2025

Just one month to go! Join us for an amazing day of connection and fun!

We're about two months away from the South Jersey Baby Expo and we're so excited!!

General vendor registration is still open - reserve your table today!!

sjbabyexpo.com

02/28/2025

We're about two months away from the South Jersey Baby Expo and we're so excited!!

General vendor registration is still open - reserve your table today!!

sjbabyexpo.com

01/06/2025

Share your birth story and make a difference ❤️

📢 Calling all New Jersey parents and soon-to-be parents! 📢

Did you know your birth story could help shape the future of maternal care in our state?

The Power of NJ Birth Stories is listening, and your experience matters. From your first prenatal visit to your postpartum care, every detail helps us create a better future for New Jersey families.

🌐Click on this link to learn more about Power of NJ Birth Stories ➡️ https://familyhealthinitiatives.org/power-of-nj-birth-stories/

12/03/2024

11/24/2024

I was so fortunate to be able to attend two cesarean births over the past few weeks. Not every hospital allows doulas in the operating room yet, but hopefully in the next few years it will become standard!

Since most cesarean births are not elective, allowing doulas to stay with their clients (and in our case, take high quality birth photos!) allows parents to maintain a better sense of control over their birth experience, leading to greater levels of satisfaction.

It is so important to us to be able to stay by our clients' sides in all birth scenarios! ❤️

11/19/2024

We're so excited to have the Community Doulas of South Jersey hosting The Doula Den!

The Doula Den will include mini birth classes, birth plan questionnaires, and "Ask a Doula" sessions to help you feel prepared and confident about your birth! Not to mention connecting you with a bunch of wonderful doulas who serve the South Jersey community!

We're so grateful for everything this group does - come check them out on April 27th!

Visit sjbabyexpo.com !

❤️

09/20/2024

VENDOR REGISTRATION IS NOW LIVE FOR THE SOUTH JERSEY BABY EXPO 2025!

The Expo will be held on Sunday, April 27th, 2025 from 10 AM to 3 PM at the beautiful and expansive DoubleTree Hilton in Cherry Hill, NJ!

For more information, visit sjbabyexpo.com

We hope to see you there!

09/02/2024

MATH MONDAY!

Some people describe pregnancy as being 10 months long instead of 9 months - we're debunking this myth with some MATH!

While pregnancy is described as lasting for about 40 weeks, this is calculated from start of the last menstrual period, and pregnancy does not actually begin until a fertilized egg implants into the uterine lining, which occurs around 3.5 weeks after the last menstrual period.

That means that pregnancy actually lasts about 36.5 weeks on average, and since there are 4.345 weeks in a month (NOT 4 weeks), this equates to about 8.4 months of pregnancy!

Even if delivery happens closer to 43 weeks (about 39.5 weeks after implantation), which is about the longest a pregnancy can last, this still does not exceed 9 months.

So there you have it! Pregnancy lasts for about 9 months! 😊