Paso a Paso (“Step by Step”), a program of the St. Joseph Hospital Childbirth Center, recently received a grant from March of Dimes California Chapter that will mean more services for expectant and new mothers in the near future. The grant, which is for $25,000, is one of many that the March of Dimes awards in pursuit of its mission to prevent birth defects and infant mortality.

St. Joseph Hospital’s Paso a Paso program offers classes in parenting and breastfeeding education and support, as well as prenatal classes for Spanish-speaking mothers, according to a St. Joseph Hospital release.

Like many communities in the United States, Humboldt County has seen a sharp increase in the number of Spanish-speaking families moving to the North Coast over the past 10 years. Locally, the number of Hispanic births increased from 3.9 percent in 1989 to 12.3 percent in 2006, the release stated.

Elvia Saavedra, a childbirth educator and co-director of Paso a Paso, said the March of Dimes grant will provide participants with additional services on top of what is already offered.

“We teach a lot of classes but we don’t have the personnel to do everything,” Saavedra said. “This grant will better enable us to educate Latina women and their families.”

Paso a Paso classes include, but are not limited to:

-De Madre a Madre (breastfeeding support group): An informal discussion in an environment where mothers can nurse their baby and exchange information with each other while a bilingual lactation educator is available to answer their questions.

-Clases para Madres y Padres Nuevo (new parents classes): Participants discuss issues of interest to parents and topics that may be of particular importance to Spanish-speaking immigrant families.

-Clases Prenatales (prenatal classes): Covers basic topics and the importance of prenatal care and nutrition, postpartum anticipatory guidance, family planning and infant car seat use. Participants also learn how to respond to language barriers if they need to go to the hospital.

-Complimentary outreach and support services, including doula services, interpretation and general support.

Paso a Paso classes are held in the waiting room at the General Hospital campus of St. Joseph Hospital. Classes are free and open to Spanish-speaking women and their families. For more information, phone 707-599-2474.

For current listings of Paso a Paso and other community classes and events or for more information about the Childbirth Center and other services at St. Joseph Hospital, visit www.stjosepheureka.org.