For LaShawna Nicholson, the journey of motherhood has been full of joyful moments.
“Chance is probably the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” Nicholson said. “He’s smart, he’s funny, he’s busy. He keeps me on my toes.”
As a first-time mother, Nicholson said she had a lot of questions throughout her pregnancy and after the birth of her son Chance, who is now two years old. Nicholson said she was grateful for the support of Debbie Brush, a registered nurse with Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System’s Nurse Family Partnership Program. The partnership program connects mothers to a registered nurse who guides the mother through her pregnancy and into the first two years of their child’s life.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses would visit mothers at their homes. But since the start of the pandemic, nurses have used telehealth to connect with mothers.
“With telehealth, it’s been a life-saver for us,” Brush said. “It definitely has opened the doors for us to be able to keep the lines of communication open and to give (mothers) the information that they need, even though we are not able to be in the home.”
Throughout the past year, Brush and Nicholson have connected through Zoom calls to discuss Chance’s developmental milestones. Brush has offered advice on everything from language development to potty training and nap schedules. Nicholson said it helped to know that she could call any time if she had questions.
“I wish everybody could go through what I went through. It was awesome, she was awesome,” Nicholson said. “It was a good experience.”