New Certified HUG Teacher Incorporating The HUG into Home Visits

Beth Cooper, from Apex, North Carolina, is incorporating HUG Your Baby into her work as she makes a transition in her work life. She shares how becoming a Certified HUG Teacher has benefited her.

 The HUG helped me understand and guide families as I moved into a new career path. I have been working in Early Intervention for over 30 years, doing 1 hour weekly home visits with families of birth to three year olds that have developmental needs. I have training in Touchpoints as well as NIDCAP  (developmental care for premature babies) and the Brazelton Newborn Exam, so felt competent observing the behavior of infants.  

 

Beth and one of the lucky mothers she serves!

I am now starting to work as a baby nanny and will get trained as a post partum doula, specializing in premature and other medically fragile or special needs infants and toddlers. So, instead of brief visits with families I will be spending most of the day with them.  My ideal is to work with mom’s that are staying at home with their children, so that I can support the whole family rather than taking care of the child(ren) while the parent(s) work.  I am delighted that becoming a Certified  HUG Your Baby Teacher has given me language to share a baby’s behavior with parents and enhanced my ability to help parents read their baby’s cues.