CFVH staffers honored for 'baby bistro' series

Two Clark Fork Valley Hospital employees have been recognized for their efforts to reach out to new mothers.

Sara Nestor and Cassie Craft received the Health Hero Award from Eat Right Montana and Montana Action for Healthy Kids in a virtual Zoom ceremony February 10. The award was presented to Nestor and Craft by Montana's First Lady, Susan Gianforte, and Rebecca Morley of Eat Right Montana. The two hospital staffers received the award for a weekly educational live video called "Virtual Baby Bistro," which is geared toward new mothers on the hospital's "Baby Friendly" Facebook page. 

"We are thrilled and honored to give moms and community members the educational information that is so dearly needed," said Nestor, a registered nurse and an OB coordinator at CFVH. She and Craft, a certified nursing assistant and a CNA coordinator, are also certified lactation consultants and certified car seat technicians at the hospital. "We really get a kick out of complete strangers who say they know us and watch every week on our videos. It has been so rewarding to see how just a little video and a few minutes of our time can impact a small community," said Nestor, who received her RN certification in 2018 and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Montana State University.

"Cassie and Sara saw a need among new mothers in rural areas," said Eat Right Montana member Terry Miller in the nomination packet. "Tuesday Talk was started with the intent to inform new mothers on lactation, breastfeeding, and milk supply without having to travel to the hospital to access these resources. Since then, thousands of viewers have benefited from this exceptional service," Miller said. 

"We originally wanted to create an in-person Baby Bistro, however, due to how rural the majority of our population is and limited access to transportation, doing that was not possible," said Nestor. "We decided the best way to reach moms would be to go to them. Most everyone has a phone and access to Facebook. The need to create a virtual baby bistro was and is real," she said. "We have moms and community members regularly reach out to us to tell us they are not only learning with these videos but that they enjoy and appreciate what we are doing."

The segment was eventually changed to Virtual Baby Bistro, but now discusses a wide variety of topics, such as sports concussions, physical activity during pregnancy, birthing plans, Covid, postpartum depression, vaccines, and fire safety to name a few. The segments are 15-20 minutes long, although Nestor said they sometimes go longer. Craft said they regularly receive positive comments and questions from mothers and ideas of future filming subjects people would like to see. "We also have people recognize us in community and will stop us to tell us how much they appreciate our work," said Nestor. 

Nestor and Craft received a plaque and $50 for their work, but they donated the monetary part to Mother's Milk Bank of Montana. The ladies said they had no idea they were even nominated and were especially surprised they had won. Craft started at CFVH in 2009 and Nestor in 2012, when they started working together. Both had the idea to create an in person baby bistro, but it was Craft's idea to do a live video piece. "There's no editing - what happens in the moment, happens," said Nestor. "Sara was apprehensive and nearly had a panic attack the first video," said Craft, who added that they both eventually became comfortable with the live streaming. 

The ladies usually spend a couple hours researching the topics prior to filming, which is all done on a cell phone. Most of the segments are done with material they've explored, but periodically they have guests, such as a social worker, a physical therapist, or another medical professional from the hospital. "It's all family oriented so anybody can watch it and maybe they have a daughter or another family member that's having a baby," said Craft, who received her CNA certification from Montana Technological University in Butte in 2008.

"This is part of our passion for moms and babies and families," she said. They average between 600 and 1,000 viewers. With some segments, they've reached around 3,000 viewers. They've done around 80 segments and have no plans to stop filming. And if a person misses a live viewing, they can watch recorded segments in the hospital video library.

"We are extremely proud of the work our team has done in regards to achieving the hospital's Baby Friendly designation," said Registered Nurse Lisa Eberhardt, the hospital's chief nursing officer. "Sara and Cassie have been leaders in this and their innovative idea for the Virtual Baby Bistro series is really an exceptional idea. Many families tune in each week to learn more as parents and grandparents on a diverse variety of family oriented topics. Parenting doesn't come with a manual and we are pleased Sara and Cassie have found a unique way to support our community," said Eberhardt.

Craft said they enjoy making the videos and are pleased that they are helping new mothers and others with their educational pieces and plan to continue as long as there is a need and they have the time. "It's just like two women coming together and talking about the struggles of motherhood," said Nestor.