Matt Hamilton/Daily Citizen-NewsGeorgia first lady Sandra Deal, left, talks with Kathy Bridges, a First Steps coordinator with the Family Support Council in Dalton, as they walk through the Turner Maternal and Infant Care Center at Hamilton Medical Center on Tuesday.

DALTON, Ga. — Georgia first lady Sandra Deal said she was “delighted” to see such healthy babies as those she saw at Hamilton Medical Center on Tuesday.

Deal visited Hamilton’s Turner Maternal and Infant Care Center and met with mothers who had recently given birth as well as staff.

“I just wanted to talk to them about how important it is that we protect our babies and what we can do to protect them,” Deal said. “We talked about putting the baby in a crib and letting it sleep on its back. They used to advise letting them sleep on their tummies, but now we know it’s safer for them to sleep on their back.”

Georgia’s Safe Sleep program says that babies should sleep alone, on their backs and in a crib, with a firm, flat mattress and no toys or other items in the crib. That reduces the risk of sleep-related deaths. Georgia’s First Steps program provides new mothers with a small crib.

First Steps representatives also meet with mothers shortly after they give birth and make them aware of all the resources available to them and conduct follow-up visits to make sure they are taking advantage of those resources.

“We also talked about the importance of immunizations,” Deal said.

Deal noted that many childhood illnesses such as whooping cough are seeing a resurgence. She said that those illnesses can be fatal and it’s important for children to get their scheduled immunizations and for adults who care for children to also be up-to-date on their immunizations.

“We also talked about how important it is for them (mothers) to talk to their children, to not only teach them vocabulary but also teach them how to listen,” she said.

Edith Estrada was one of the mothers Deal met with.

“I was very excited,” she said. “We talked about using the crib and how important that is and how important it is for a baby to sleep on its back.”

Melinda Edgeman, director of Women’s Services at Hamilton, said she thinks the First Steps program has been very beneficial.

“A lot of our mothers aren’t aware of all of the resources that are available to them,” she said. “It also makes sure they get good information on what they can do to keep their child safe and healthy.”

Edgeman said many of the mothers who give birth at Hamilton speak only Spanish, and First Steps helps them receive information they might not otherwise have the ability to get.