Jennifer Johnson is a labor and delivery nurse and ICEA certified childbirth educator at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, Illinois. Jennifer not only has the pleasure of meeting expectant families during the prenatal period when they attend prenatal education classes, but she also has the unique privilege of facilitating a mother/baby education program called “Look What We Can Do.” This program meets weekly to discuss relevant educational topics and lend support to new mothers. Jennifer’s most important job is being a mother herself to five amazing children: Alyssa 16, Madison 14, Savannah 9, Isabel 7, and Zachary 5.
Even after fifteen years of OB nursing and prenatal education I still feel incredibly privileged to be a part of such a special time in a new family’ life. Nothing is more beautiful than the bond of a new parent and her baby. I am excited to incorporate The HUG video into my “Caring for Your Newborn “class. I have always shown “Your Amazing Newborn” featuring T.B Brazelton’s work. I had not been able to replace this dated video because the content was just so good. But now have found my solution – The HUG DVD!! I love to watch expectant parents facial expressions as they view infant behavior. That look is simply priceless.
Equally as exciting is when I show this video to my new mothers support group. Here moms with babies ranging from one week to six months old meet to learn about their baby’s growing and developing. It is amazing to see light bulbs go off as these mothers absorb the content and come to realize, “I DO know what I am doing as a parent” and “My baby really does like me.” One mother with a six-month-old sums it up perfectly when she says, “Where was this video six months ago?”
Thank you for such a great program, I look forward to enriching lives – one family at a time.