Alisa Perozo-Dickerson is a registered nurse from St. Louis, Missouri. She recently had a baby boy of her own, and has decided to find a way to work less while raising him. She has begun her own Childbirth Education business and is integrating HUG Your Baby into her newborn classes.
I am so excited to be able to offer a class on "newborn behavior" to my clients. So often you see classes that go over basic care, hygiene, and the "how-to's" of baby care- but they lack the explanation behind the baby's behavior. It's interesting, because I began certifying as a HUG Teacher right when my own baby was six weeks old. This course actually has helped my husband and myself tremendously! I remember watching my husband (a first time daddy) play with our son, and the baby would keep looking away from him. I saw the disappointment in my husband's face as he continued to look for that eye contact. He actually said, "I don't think he likes me as much as he likes you. He won't even look at me." It was amazing to witness first hand how much one simple SOS could affect how a parent views himself! I quickly explained the "switching off" SOS and now my husband regularly uses the terminology, "he's over-stimulated."
I also recently came across a question on a local community forum asking if a baby should be evaluated for autism- for the very same reason! The baby was not making eye contact and was looking away from his mother, and the mother was extremely concerned. I was very glad to be able to explain that the behavior was not only normal, but expected!
This program is so vital and important to new parents, so that parents can form strong attachments with their babies from the beginning, instead of making negative inferences about themselves or their babies due to normal newborn behavior. I am looking forward to being able to help new parents accomplish this, using the HUG Your Baby program.