AUSTIN, Texas — Some say all kids are special, but 2-year-old Thaddea Clemons is more of a miracle to her mom. Virginia Baldwin lost three of her pregnancies before she finally had Thaddea.
“When I had my daughter, I felt like, 'OK, I have this baby now. Is she going to die? What’s going to happen?' You know, I was terrified,” said Baldwin.
Baldwin said losing her pregnancies caused depression.
“I don’t think it’s something you really get over, you just kind of keep living,” she said.
That’s where a talking circle comes in. East Austin nonprofit WorkingGroup512 is creating this space for Black mothers to discuss what they’re going through. They’re also providing 11 moms with diapers and formula for six months.
“Just in Black communities in general, mental health is not something that’s talked about. Growing up, it was like, 'That person’s crazy, stay away from them.' That’s what we were taught,” said Baldwin.
The money for the program came from a grant.
“We feel really privileged to have found a partnership with the University of Texas Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, so that we could initiate this inaugural cohort of 11 moms,” said the founder of WorkingGroup512, Chivas Watson.
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