New and experienced moms alike, with babies in tow, descended upon Porter County’s first Community Baby Shower on Friday with an invitation to “Fall in Love.”
The Porter County Health Department chose October for the event as it’s Infant Loss Awareness Month. “Porter County is the lowest in the state of Indiana for infant and fetal death, but Indiana is still above the national average,” explained Hayley Fiscus, maternal child health nurse for Porter County.
Nathaly Price and eight-month-old daughter Emma chat with Tonia Kitchel of LEAP Solutions at the Porter County Community Baby Shower Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. (Shelley Jones/for Post-Tribune)
Almost 60 moms had been through the doors in the first hour and a half of the event, which offered 30 vendors from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Ashley Bilderback, of Valparaiso, visited the booths with her 1-month-old daughter Ellie cuddled against her, “just to see what they have to offer.” That included raffles and giveaways.
“It’s a third baby and a surprise baby, so just to see what’s going on,” she added, explaining that she wants to be privy to any new information since the births of her 16- and 2-year-old daughters.
Andrea Dagnillo, of Hebron, is expecting babies three and four. She had sons Leo, 3, and Dylan, 1 1/2, in tow. She’s due to give birth to twins in April. “Next week I’ll know,” she said of the fraternal twins’ genders. For now, she’s “just looking at resources.”
A variety of vendors each contributed an item for a free raffle that included the likes of a car seat and baskets of baby supplies. Nurse-Family Partnership, sponsored by Goodwill, was one of several not-for-profits aiming to raise awareness of its services for expectant and new moms.
“We keep an eye on their blood pressure, answer any questions they have,” said home visiting nurse Ashley R. “We are a home visiting program, but we’ll meet them at coffee shops, parks, wherever they feel comfortable.”
Her colleague Constance Robinson, outreach coordinator for the organization that helps women with an annual income of $44,000 or less, was also a client.
“My nurse helped me get out of a dark place,” she said. “I had my baby during the pandemic and my nurse helped me get the tools that I need to become a better mom. She provided me resources, diapers; she helped me with my post-partum depression.”
Now she’s on the other side of that, helping other women and raving about the joys of motherhood to 4-year-old Cadence.
Attendees peruse booths at the first Porter County Community Baby Shower at the Porter County Foundation Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. (Shelley Jones/for Post-Tribune)
First Things First Porter County was also on hand to raise awareness of its Seeds of Promise campaign that holds $100 in investment for any Porter County baby that’s registered.
“It’s not the amount of money that really matters. It’s the mindset,” explained Executive Director Mary Jane Eisenhauer. She said in communities that offer such programs, “Symptoms of maternal depression decrease. Students are more likely to graduate from high school and enroll in post-secondary programs.”
About 20% of the babies born in Porter County have been enrolled since the program began in 2022. Another program that can benefit the 1,155 babies born in Porter County so far this year is Roth ID Tags, which are car seat safety tags that can be turned into a wearable bracelet for a baby in the event of an accident that incapacitates the adults in the vehicle.
“And it doesn’t have to be an infant,” stressed Chesterton Fire Department Deputy Chief Aimee Gilbert, whose department is a distributor of the tags. “Anybody who’s in a restraint car seat” may have one. “It can be a special needs adult.”
Shelley Jones is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
