Thriving Families

Pregnancy and having a new baby can be all things at once: exciting, isolating, full of joy, full of uncertainty. This Colorado Gives Day, show-up for pregnant and parenting families in metro Denver and let them know their community is here to support them during this critical time.

Powerful Outcomes from our Evidence-Based Program

Four published academic papers and two reports from a large randomized controlled trial of MotherWise participants demonstrate the program’s effectiveness. 

- MotherWise reduces preterm birth by 55% and increases baby’s birth weight (Rhoades et al., 2022). 

This matters because:

1. In 2016, the annual societal economic cost (medical, educational, and lost productivity) associated with preterm birth in the United States was at least $25.2 billion.
2. During that same year the average first year medical costs, including both inpatient and outpatient care were about 4 times greater for preterm ($49,140) than for term infants ($13,024). This is due to the fact that preterm babies are are at increased risk for infection and more likely to be hospitalized when sick in their first year of life. 
3. Preterm birth complications are the leading cause of death among children under 5 years of age, responsible for approximately 3,300 deaths just in the United States in 2023.

- Particularly among African-American or Black women, the program prevents postpartum depression (Allen et al., 2023).

- MotherWise also makes it more likely a mother attends her six-week postpartum checkup and that she is on a long-acting contraceptive by then (Mazzoni et al., 2023). 

- Those assigned to MotherWise were less likely to have an unintended pregnancy in the year following enrollment (Patnaik & Wood, 2021). 

- Long-term, the program reduces conflict with the baby’s father, mothers’ ratings of whether they think violence is acceptable in relationships, and the number of relationship transitions (family instability) a baby experiences before age 3 (Paitnak et al., 2022).

Our History and Growth

In 2016, we started MotherWise in a waiting room at Denver Health. It was our first program and it was a success, but we quickly learned from the families we served that there was more work to do. Since then, Thriving Families has expanded exponentially in terms of services and physical space.

Our Programs:

- MotherWise grew from enrolling 150 new families per year to more than 700 new families.
- New evidence-based programs for teen parents 
- Long-term counseling/therapy for individuals, couples, and families (WiseWellness)
- Postpartum depression prevention groups (La Luz)
- Positive parenting classes (The Incredible Years)
All programs continue to be free and available in English and Spanish

Testimonials

"This program has been life changing and has helped me navigate my life and this new thing called parenting."

"It was really very valuable for me to find MotherWise, they have been [there through] difficult times during the last month, and being in this program took away a lot of the emotional pressure that I felt. Each meeting, each talk, each piece of advice helped me to have tools to solve both my character conflicts and improve my interactions with my husband. INFINITE THANKS MOTHERWISE."

"I learned how to better communicate with family members and my husband. I feel more confident in my ability in being a new mom. As well, I have a new support team "MotherWise" and have made new connections in my class mates. I am really happy I found MotherWise and took the steps to joining this class, I loved it! I'm sad the class is over already! Thank You."

"Me gusto mucho the dan herramientas y te hacen sentir que no estas sola muchas gracias."