Momma Moments changing lives, reuniting mothers and children

Momma Moments, a peer support group for young mothers and young pregnant women, is celebrating a milestone.

Sixteen children who were in the care of Child, Youth and Family Services have all been reunited with their mothers.

I think Choices for Youth and Momma Moments have definitely saved my life.- Kayla

Kayla, in her early 20s, says her son was taken from her and put into protective custody.

"It was a domestic violence situation that was very abusive and that my son needed to be removed from as quickly as possible," she said.

That was in 2010 when Kayla's life unravelled.

She got her son back in September of 2015, and Kayla credits the reunion to the time she has spent at Momma Moments, which is operated by Choices For Youth.

Life has changed

"Completely different. My son's home and I'm happy, he's happy and he's where he should be. I'm just happy," she said.

"I don't feel depressed anymore, I don't feel suicidal, I don't do drugs. I don't have to because the reason I was doing them was because I didn't have my son, but my son's back.

"I think Choices for Youth and Momma Moments have definitely saved my life — and when I say that, I mean every word of it."

These mothers love their kids just as much as any of us love our kids.- Jane Henderson

Momma Moments operates in St. John's and Conception Bay South, with 44 moms and 54 kids taking part.

Jeannie Piercey, program facilitator with Momma Moments, said the two-and-a-half hour session feature a cooked meal, free child minding and shared learning experiences.

"[We] bring in guest speakers, organize a craft, we may do yoga, Zumba, cake decorating," she said.

"So really we are guided by what the moms would like to do and also some issues that are identified by a program facilitator, like budgeting if it's a common thread among young people and moms living in poverty, certainly we talk about budgeting, healthy eating, food safety and things like that."

'I feel blessed'

The program, which runs on a total budget of about $105,000 a year, has been such a success that Memorial University's Faculty of Medicine is studying how the supports that it offers lead to positive outcomes.

Momma Moments relies on government funding, donations and volunteers to operate.

Jane Henderson, director of programs for Choices For Youth, said in an ideal world organizers would open a resource center and expand operations to include rural parts of the province.

"Potentially this type of model can be a real game changer for how we look at apprehensions, how we look at what support should look like for mothers to give them the tools and the resources and the supports that they need to be the parents they want to be," said Henderson.

"One of the first things I learned at Momma Moments is that these mothers love their kids just as much as any of us love our kids, and they deserve to have the opportunities that everyone has to be good parents."

Meanwhile, mom Kayla finally feels good, at peace and has nothing but praise for the staff at Momma Moments.

"I feel blessed to have them in my life and I always will."