FOR
THE STORK’S ARRIVAL… – MONTREAL COMPANY LAUNCHES UNIQUE
TEACHING TOOL WITH FIRST QUEBEC MADE VISUAL GUIDE FOR
NEW PARENTS
Canada NewsWire
December 7, 2004
Because a baby doesn’t enter the world
with an operating manual, Liandrea Productions, an innovative
Montreal company founded by two mothers who are also
journalists, has teamed up with a group of experts to
help demystify the parenting of newborns.
The result is an educational video entitled
Bringing Baby Home, the first in a series of
entertaining how-to videos that go through a virtual
checklist on the art of becoming a parent. The only
Quebec-made, up-to-date visual guide is now on the market,
after a two-year gestation period.
According to the OECD, the average hospital stay in
Canada after giving birth is a mere two days. Hardly
enough time to learn all the various aspects of newborn
care! Not to mention the lack of videos on the market
that deal with post-partum care.
“While taking prenatal classes for my
first baby, I was struck by how poorly produced and
outdated the instructional videos were,” said Lianne
Castelino, the president of Liandrea Productions. “I
felt compelled to try to come up with a step-by-step
visual guide that would educate and empower parents.”
Bringing Baby Home provides a wealth
of information, sound advice and demonstrations by experts
in pediatric and family medicine. The 71-minute video
is designed to minimize the stress that accompanies
the arrival of a newborn. This how-to guide for parents,
covers more than 120 topics, divided into four separate
themes: baby basics, care and feeding; hygiene and sleep,
and coping.
“Bringing Baby Home is an ideal complement to
pre-natal medical checkups because it contains pertinent
information to help parents deal with the many challenges
that await them with the arrival of a newborn,” says
Dr. Denis Leduc, a Montreal pediatrician and the president-elect
of the Canadian Pediatric Society, as well as the Medical
Advisor to Liandrea Productions. “It is designed to
give parents the necessary tools to maximize their infant’s
health and safety.”
The visual guide, produced specifically
for new parents, is currently being used as a teaching
tool by a number of birthing and medical organizations,
CLSCs and hospitals. At the Royal Victoria Hospital
in Montreal, the video is shown continually on the screen
in the maternity department.
“There is nothing as comprehensive as
this on the market right now,” says Amélie Chiasson,
an obstetrical nurse at the Royal Victoria Hospital.
“When a mother leaves the hospital with her baby, she
is basically going into the unknown. Bringing Baby
Home explains all the things that are a concern
for new parents, because they don’t really know what
to expect. This takes them through the entire process.”
The positive response from professionals
in the field has encouraged Liandrea Productions to
create the Liandrea Cares Program in support of non-profit
organizations dedicated to helping at-risk parents and
babies. The program will enable parents and families
who might not otherwise have access to the video, to
receive this outstanding educational tool free of charge.
“We believe that every baby deserves a
good start in life, and that every parent, regardless
of his or her circumstances, deserves access to the
best parenting advice possible,” remarked Andrea Howick,
vice-president and co-founder of Liandrea Productions.
“We know how overwhelming being a new parent can be,
under the best of circumstances. But it can be even
more so for single mothers and fathers, young mothers
and the economically disadvantaged. It’s a daunting
challenge.”
Current plans are for the Liandrea Cares Program to
reach at least one non-profit group or support centre
in every province in Canada by the end of 2005. This
is in keeping with the company’s mission of providing
new parents with up-to-date, easy-to-follow reference
tools.
Bringing Baby Home is available
in VHS and DVD formats, in English and French (Bébé
arrive à la maison) online at
www.bringingbabyhome.net, as well as in some hospitals
and specialty boutiques.
Bringing Baby Home can be ordered here.
© Canada NewsWire 2004
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