I am a nursing student at Johnston Community College in Smithfield, NC. I am also the owner of GreatBirthGreatBaby, LLC, providing support for my clients through their pregnancy as well as after as they get to know their newborn. Last winter I was talking with new parents, Carol and Gary, about the importance of “tummy time” for their 5-week-old. “We tried a couple times, Jan,” she answered, “but Pippa didn’t seem to like it, so we stopped."
I was going to meet with Carol and Gary the next weekend to show them some infant movement and massage/touch techniques to help Pippa through this year of rapid development. Since a recent school assignment was to put together a nursing-related teaching project, I decided to add a “tummytime” segment to our session.
What was to be a 45-minute session turned into a 2-hour adventure, with Pippa taking center stage. Questions rolled off their tongues about feeding, sleeping, comforting, playing, and making sure they were doing the “absolutely best” for their baby. I lost count of the times I used the HUG Your Baby principles to explain to them just how much Pippa (who happened to be totally accommodating that day!) could show them how to be the great parents they were trying so hard to be.
This summer I took on the role of Welcome Baby mentor for a pregnant teen and her family; I am confident with the support I can provide because of my training and experience with the HUG Your Baby program.
As a pregnancy massage therapist (and future nurse!), I love supporting and empowering new parents and their newborns; I love working with these tiny oh-so-smart beings; and I love the HUG!
Summer 2012