I think this is one of the most rewarding jobs that you can have because you're going into someone's personal space and it really gives them an opportunity to advocate for themselves and really say like how they're feeling and what they're thinking.

Some particular patients that I can think about that really like I felt like it made a difference that I was there.

I remember vividly a patient who was undocumented.

She had only been in the country for a couple of months and she had left older children in her country.

And so she was kind of just feeling really conflicted, really sad.

A lot of emotions about taking care of a newborn and then having a four year old back in her country.

She was alone.

She didn't have any family.

She was here with her husband, but, you know, he was working all the time.

A lot of these communities don't have maternity or paternity care, and so fathers go to work immediately.

So she was pretty much alone, very sad.

She was crying.

She was telling me how she was feeling.

And I was able to refer her to some mental health resources at the consortia they have the parenting, the Pregnancy and Parenting Wellness Center, and I also refer her to home visiting through Head Start.

They have a home visiting program where they come to the home, and I think I thought it would be really great not only for parental support, but also for emotional support.

Like some of these mothers.

They just want to talk to another adult.

You know, they want to have some sort of interaction when their home by themselves all day.

And, you know, it was quite a lengthy visit.

But after I left, I really felt like she felt like it was the first time that she was heard, especially with the language barrier.

A lot of families that don't speak English don't advocate for themselves.

You know, they have a sort of respect for authority.

And so they just kind of do what they're told and they're just kind of afraid to speak up.

And then I do find that family, when they find someone that does speak their language, they're much more open to to speaking up and saying what they actually think.