Little Emma makes her mother feel happy. Samantha Bruns says watching her daughter meet milestones makes it worth it.
But getting to that happy place was not an automatic. Bruns was a 20-year-old college student at Carroll University when she learned she was pregnant.
Bruns found help at Safe Babies, Healthy Families in Waukesha.
"I was new to Wisconsin, new to the area. It was an unexpected pregnancy. I was feeling overwhelmed so I thought it was a good way to get help," Bruns said.
The agency is one of the recipients of the TODAY'S TMJ4 Community Baby Shower.
Safe Babies helps young mothers overcome their challenges so they can be good parents.
"We go into the home and ask a lot of questions to see where they are at in life," said Casey Brawner of Safe Babies, Healthy Families. "They get excited for it, but a lot of different emotions. They have to take care of them and provide things for another baby," she said.
Brawner says the financial strain is the most difficult so donations from the Community Baby Shower make a huge difference.
"They don't have that support system so they don't get those baby showers," she said. "So the things they get from this store are all that they get. It takes the stress off to know even though it wasn't planned we can still make it work with help from the community because it takes a whole community to raise a baby."
Bruns dropped out of school and is working instead because of her new baby. She hopes to return to college one day.
Safe Babies says the most needed items include larger-sized diapers and wipes.
You can make a difference by donating to the TODAY'S TMJ4 Community Baby Shower. It's Friday, January 22, 2016. Drop off baby items at any area Sentry store. All of the donations stay local.
