Angela Kinzie is an IBCLC, a certified ICEA and Lamaze childbirth educator, a certified DONA birth doula, a certified Happiest Baby on the Block instructor and a Baby Basics Mom's Club facilitator at Carilion Clinic in Roanoke, Virginia. One would wonder what else Angela could possibly need to learn! But, when she attended Jan Tedder's HUG Your Baby training (Parts I and II) in North Carolina, it seemed only natural to her to become a Certified HUG Teacher. The HUG tools and techniques, she believed, would further her ability to offer insight and assistance to expectant and new parents. Following is a brief summary of some of the happy and rewarding experiences she has had on the journey to HUG Teacher Certification:
I began to present The HUG as a part of my "Postpartum: At Home with Baby" prepared childbirth classes, as well as in other classes I facilitated. In addition, I began demonstrating The HUG concepts to new mothers I helped with breastfeeding on our hospital's Mother/Baby Unit. The predominant responses of these expectant and new parents was relief and gratitude, as they finally received practical advice based on observing specific behaviors of THEIR new baby.
One mother expecting her third child became a little teary-eyed as she expressed how insightful she found The HUG concepts to be. She explained how much she wished she had had this information when her first two babies were born.
Another couple brought their 5-week-old baby into our Lactation Center for help with breastfeeding. Because the baby was waking up to nurse every 1 1/2 to 2 hours, they worried that either the mother had a "low milk supply" (in spite of great weight gain) or that the baby was "spoiled." They were overjoyed to discover that neither was true when then learned about active and deep sleep.
It was especially gratifying to show new parents their baby's self-calming abilities and to watch them beam at how capable their brand new little one was. I was also delighed to find ways to respond to statements like this: "The baby must not like me, because he cries when I hold him," or "She's just lazy and won't even look at me when I try to make faces and 'play' with her." What a joy to help these parent's understand that behaviors they had observed were only a baby "sending out an SOS - Sign of Over-Stimulation"!
Parents who are helped to understand their baby's non-verbal communication with The HUG appear to relax and enjoy their baby much more. Surely this new understanding will lead to a stronger connection and a much more positive interaction and relationship parent(s) and child. I believe that knowledge gained through HUG teaching can only bode well for families who get off to a great start with their newborn.
© HUG Your Baby 2012