It’s been two months since baby Zahava made her premature entrance into this world, and two months since her family enjoyed any sense of normalcy. Her siblings, ages two, four and eight, are getting used to stepping over piles of laundry in their once orderly home, and eating lots of peanut butter sandwiches.
Zahava’s mother spent every day in the hospital. She would come home so drained, she could barely think. But yesterday, when she stuck her elbow into a glob of something unidentifiable on the kitchen table, and then went to lie down in a bed which hadn’t been made in two weeks, she burst into tears.
“I can’t do this anymore”, she cried. And then she wept and wept until she fell into an exhausted sleep.
It’s no wonder Zahava’s mother is falling apart. She’s dealing with too much. Traveling to the hospital; worrying about the baby’s medical issues; trying to care for her other children- she never even had a chance to recover from childbirth.
Kimpotarin Aid helps women recover from childbirth so they don’t fall apart. Founded in 1981 by the Spinka Rebbe Ztz”l, and since under the dedicated leadership of his daughter the utmost devoted Rebetzin Sura Unger שתחי’, after he witnessed the dire circumstances of women who were trying to cope after having a baby, the help is not a luxury. It is crucial – and it often saves families. Having a baby is usually a joyous occasion, but it’s also very overwhelming. Especially when a baby is premature or there are other young children in the family.
And now it’s crunch time.
When a baby is born now, amidst the hectic Yom Tov preparations, the burden of preparing for nearly a month of holidays, while recuperating from childbirth and trying to care for a family and new baby, can be too much for the bravest of women to handle.
Kimpatorin Aid is a lifeline to new mothers and their families.
Kimpatorin Aid sends
-Housekeepers and meals that help families function.
-Baby nurses that give mothers a chance to rest.
-Women at risk of postpartum depression for stays in respite homes
-and more- a range of services to help new mothers get back on their feet.
Mothers who are caring for two, three and four pound babies need even more help. These mothers spend weeks, even months, in the hospital. They see the tiny baby they dreamed about struggling to breathe. They suffer as their little one fights infections. They sit outside operating rooms, waiting to hear if their baby will be alright.
And then they come home.
It may sound unimportant, but the fact is that a clean, functioning home with solid meals and folded laundry makes a real difference to these drained women.
“My baby was in the hospital for three months,” says Ilana T. “Kimpotarin Aid was my lifeline. I would come home exhausted, and the house was always neat and taken care of. I think if I would’ve walked into a mess, and had to start cleaning and doing laundry, I would’ve collapsed!”
Until not very long ago, new mothers were treated like a queen. Family and friends would pitch in to provide wholesome meals and plenty of assistance so that the new mother could properly recuperate from the rigors of childbirth. Now, however, the traditional concept of a kimpatorin has disappeared, and many, many women are expected to care for their families just days after childbirth, and return to work a few weeks later.
What happens when that’s too much for a woman just after childbirth to handle?
The amount of women diagnosed with postpartum depression is rising, and the amounts of once beautiful families suffering from neglect and crises is rising as well.
Having a baby can be such a wondrous, joyous time.
Why should we leave our new mothers to stumble through a haze of exhaustion and pain, trying to juggle roles and burdens that are too much for a woman right after birth?
Right now, we have 102 bone-weary new mothers, begging for some assistance over the Yomim Tovim to help them function.
This Yom Kippur, as you plead for a new year of life, will you have on your side the merit of helping a family celebrate a new life?
Or choose from the following funds:
Send 51 mothers on the brink of collapse to a kimpatorin home
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
