TAMPA, Fla. — A baby shower is one of the big days a soon-to-be mom looks forward to during her pregnancy. It’s a time for them to get showered with gifts for their baby and celebrate with those closest to them.

Tampa General Hospital took that concept and expanded it into an event with gifts and resources they say are life saving for both mom and baby.

For Eeda Rajil, the TGH Women’s Institute’s Annual Genesis Baby Shower is exactly what she needed.

“Raising a child is really, really expensive, and I’m a student at University of South Florida, and this has been a real helpful thing for me,” she said.

Rajil is an international student with very few family and friends in the area. At 30 weeks pregnant, she says this is going to be the only baby shower she has. It is something organizers considered when they first started the baby shower event four years ago.

“A lot of our patients have difficulty accessing medical care and a lot of social services and have additional financial needs. so it’s really a privilege for us to be able to work on all fronts,” TGH Resident OBGYN Physician Melissa Chan said.

And they’re not just focusing on moms-to-be. Ashley Allen had twins less than two weeks ago and she was there, getting showered with gifts after a difficult pregnancy.

“At first it started out OK. I had the nausea, vomiting but by the time the second trimester, came I got big and so did my blood pressur. And honestly things were kind of bumpy,” Allen said.

Baby wipes, first-aid kids and car seat safety tips are all things she says she can use, but there was one thing offered here that’s vital for her.

“Just seeing what’s out there to help with postpartum depression. I think that’s what I’m worried about the most," Allen said. "Especially because of everything we went through. I don’t think people really talk about how your pregnancy can affect you after."

Community organizations like Reach Up, Healthy Start and Mama Care Rising are here with the medical staff, committed to making sure mothers learn about safe sleeping, managing blood pressure, and recognizing preeclampsia. All things that TGH Women’s institute chief, Dr. Judette Louis said can be lifesaving before and after delivery.

“More than a third of maternal deaths happen within a year after giving birth and so what we want to do is stop what currently happens. Which is that once you’ve delivered the baby everyone forgets about you. So, we’re including postpartum patients because that is a high-risk period,” she said.

It’s a different approach to a baby shower or a gift registry but it’s one the patients there say they couldn’t be more thankful for.

At the event some mothers got to take home strollers, highchairs and cribs. Mothers who are patients at mothers receiving prenatal care at Tampa General’s Genesis Women’s center are eligible to join the free celebration.

TGH Genesis Women’s Center specializes in multidisciplinary care for high-risk pregnancies and pre and postpartum care programs including:

• Ultrasound and fetal testing
• Maternal and fetal medicine
• Regional Perinatal Intensive Care Center (RPICC) program
• Targeted Outreach for Pregnant Women (TOPWA) offering counseling for HIV and drug/substance abuse
• Diabetes early detection
• Genetic counseling
• Patient education

For more information about the baby shower, click here.