MILWAUKEE — More than 30 churches across Milwaukee participated in the 13th annual Strong Baby Sabbath event on Sunday. It’s an initiative to alert the congregation to the current infant mortality statistics in the city. 

Julia Means is the parish nurse through Ascension Wisconsin at Ebenezer Church of God in Christ. She said the goal of the initiative is for parents to learn how to keep children safe while they’re asleep. 

“When a baby is sleeping in a bed instead of a crib, the mattress is so soft, and a lot of the babies don’t breathe,” said Means. “So they have a problem dying because of co-sleeping, and sometimes it’s rollovers. The firm mattress in Pack ’n Plays, cribs, is what is keeping the baby breathing normal.” 

Means also said a baby should sleep in their crib with nothing but the mattress. 

“The baby should not have a cover,” said Means. “They don’t need that. The baby should not have bumper pads. They could roll over onto the bumper pads and they should not have a pillow.”

Means also shared the success of her initiative called the Ascension Wisconsin Blanket of Love Sanctuaries Program, which is a support group she started in 2005 to help expectant mothers. 

“I started it because I went to a conference and found out African American babies die before their first birthday more than a baby that’s born in a third world country, and that’s sad,” said Means. 

Crystal Griffin helped Means start the program. It offers education, resources and a support system throughout pregnancy. 

“That there is hope for our babies,” said Griffin. “There is hope. There [are] programs that are in place. It’s not just young mothers but older mothers. We’ve had older mothers in our program that weren’t teen mothers. There is hope for our babies and a chance at life.” 

The program is in several churches across Milwaukee, along with all of Ascension Hospitals to educate and support mothers.