As medical students who are completing clinical clerkships in Metro Detroit hospitals, we have witnessed first-hand the resource poverty that exists within the city of Detroit, especially in the pregnant and postpartum population. While there are many service initiatives that exist in the area, and a number of them target the female population, there is a persistent need in the pregnant and postpartum population for basic supplies to support their pregnancy journey. We have dedicated much of our time in medical school to service in our community, and we have witnessed how small things, such as providing basic pregnancy, newborn, and after-birth care supplies, can make a huge difference in new mothers' lives and change the course of their pregnancy and post-partum journey. With all this being said, we as students have been searching for a way to serve the population of Detroit and bridge the gap for postpartum women to have all the supplies that they need at the tail-end of their pregnancy journey.

Our project aims to create a number of “Postpartum Packages” that contain items such as: absorbent briefs, nursing pads, newborn onesies, burp rags, perineal care items, and educational material (information on Detroit resources, breastfeeding, postpartum mental health, contraceptives, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). Our goal is to distribute these packages to women at hospital discharge after their birth in preparation for their postpartum journey. We have conferred with a number of OB/GYN providers in the area and have identified that there is a real need for these products in the Detroit postpartum community, and we think we can contribute to filling that gap through this service initiative. We are fundraising for the purpose of purchasing the items for a minimum of 100 packages; we will distribute them in the Detroit community via the local nonprofit Make Your Date, which aims to serve underprivileged and high-risk pregnant individuals.