Carolinas Medical Center (Charlotte, NC) gets a BIG HUG!

Lisa Mather, LPN, IBCLC, RLC, ably assisted by Melanie Jenkins, RN, IBCLC, recently brought the HUG Your Baby Teacher Training (Parts I and II) to Carolinas Medical Center-University in Charlotte, North Carolina. Lisa and Melanie are responsible for the Cuddle Me Closely program. Most of the enthusiastic group work right there at the Maternity Center.  Special thanks go to Anja Daily, Clinical Nurse Specialist for joining us from CMC-Main. 

It was a busy, rainy Monday and some participants had to slip in and out to help with patient care. But that did not seem to dull their enthusiasm as the ideas and questions continued to flow. 

We explored the special challenges of implementing a new approach at a busy in-patient setting. The group particularly enjoyed viewing and discussing the videos of parents and babies. They voiced how learning the "Zones" and "SOSs- Signs of Over-Stimulation" and practicing broadcasting and commentating could help with their lactation program as they move towards the Baby Friendly Hospital designation. Comments on the course evaluations included   "It was great" and "Good information" and suggested "more role play on the basics of observing an infant and really learning the SOSs and Zones."      

 Lisa has recently complete Certified HUG Teacher training and Melanie plans to dive into this training soon. 

We look forward to an ongoing relationship with CMC supporting them in their work to help young families to learn to understand the language of their newborns and to extend lactation duration.

Exciting HUG Your Baby Workshop

What a busy (and snowy) day! 22 professionals from around North Carolina joined Gale Touger and me for an all-day HUG Your Baby training (Parts I and II).  As trainers we are always humbled by both the range and depth of the professional experience we find sitting in any class we teach. Childbirth educators, social workers, early childhood educators, doulas, nurses, lactation consultants, pediatricians, breastfeeding researchers, and international development specialists joined us yesterday. Their professional expertise is surpassed only by their commitment and passion to provide new moms and dads the support and education they want and need.

This class began with a review of the medical and child development literature used to development the HUG Your Baby program, and new research about what parents want and need.  Attention was given to understanding the importance of a child's temperament, the impact of postpartum depression, and the critical role of fathers. Next we reviewed changes in an infant's crying, normal sleep patterns, and a baby's remarkable ability to interact with their parents. Jan was eager to share the newly completed "Roadmap to Breastfeeding Success" and to get feedback from this group of breastfeeding specialists.  The breastfeeding community recognizes that helping parents understand a baby's behavior is key to promoting breastfeeding duration.

As usual, lots of interesting stories were heard, engaging videos were analyzed, and inspiring "Ah-HA" moments were shared.  Time was spent on role-playing and reflecting on how to enhance communication with parents using The HUG Strategies.  There was plenty of time to laugh at ourselves, to encourage one another, and to appreciate the awesome opportunity we have to impact the trajectory of parent-child relationships by making parents' first steps good steps.

And, the evaluations were thrilling! 100% of participants "Strongly Agree" that . . .

• "This program gave me helpful tools and strategies for teaching parents about newborn behavior."
• "I would recommend this course to colleagues."

Remember, this program is available online for those who could not join us yesterday.

Exciting Evaluation of Tedder's "Zero to Three" Workshop

In December, 2011 Jan Tedder spoke at the Zero to Three Annual Institute in Washington DC. This is an important gathering of thousands of parenting and early childhood professionals from across the USA and abroad.

Tedder's Workshop: “Roadmap to Breastfeeding” (42 Participants)

SCORING: 5: Very High 4: High 3: Neutral 2: Low 1: Poor

Score

• 4.79 Content was consistent with stated learning objectives.
• 4.81 Content included recent literature on topic.
• 4.83 Teaching methods were appropriate.
• 4.83 Visual aids, handouts and oral presentation clarified content.
• 4.86 Information could be applied to practice and enhance professional expertise.
• 4.86 Information could contribute to achieving personal and professional goals.
• 4.79 Faculty was knowledgeable in content area.4.86 Faculty clarified content in response to questions.
• 4.88 I learned a great deal as a result of this continuing education activity.

Additional Comments:I enjoyed this presentation.
An engaging speaker. Great ideas.
Excellent.
Delightful presentation.
Great communication between speaker and the audience.
I loved this presentation.
My favorite session of the week.
Practical information.
Passion was obvious.
Amazing. Exactly what we needed.
Informative and so engaging.
Very helpful.
A good presentation.
Motivating.
Very engaging.
I enjoyed the video clips.

Illinois WIC Professionals Discover that HUG Your Baby Will Boost Breastfeeding Education and Support of Young Mothers

Last month Jan Tedder, BSN, FNP, IBCLC deliverd an all day program about the might and magic of using HUG Your Baby tools and techniques to support breastfeeding mothers. The morning was spent learning about Newborn Zones and SOS and how to help a baby move effectively from one "Zone" to another. Later that day, participants discovered the "HUG Startegies" which include the power of "Broadcasting" and "Commentating" on a newborn's behavior. Using these technique enhances the parent-provider relationship which is critical to successfull lacation support.

Finally these breastfeeding specialist learned about The HUG's Roadmap to Breastfeeding Success. They reviewed the child development and medical literature on this important subject and explored family-friendly, parent educational resources. Participants learned how normal developmental events from birth to one year of age can be misunderstood by a mother and cause her to abandon breastfeeding.

Participants had a lot to say about this continuing education program:
*100% reported that this workshop succeeded in describing newborn behaviors which might cause a mother to think she has an insufficient milk supply.
*99% reported that this workshop succeeded in describing the impact of understanding Zones and SOS on breastfeeding.
*100% reported that this workshop succeeded in describing developmental events from birth to one year that impact breastfeeding.
*100% stated they would recommend this program to colleagues.

What a joy to spend a day with such a dynamic and dedicated group of professionals.

Read about how other WIC programs have utilized The HUG.

For more information contact Ms. Tedder at hugyourbaby@earthlink.net
www.hugyourbaby.org

Feedback about New HUG Training

Teaching Newborn Behavior to Extend Breastfeeding Duration" has just been released! Approved for 1.5 (L) CERP credit and 1.5 Contact Hours credit, this program is now being taken by lactation consultants, doulas, nurses and childbirth educators around the country.

What do they think about this program?

"I've been an IBCLC since 1997 and was a LLL Leader for over 30 years so I thought I had heard it all. Not so! This program offered a new explanation of baby states and how to explain this to moms. Can't wait for the follow-up program!" Geraldine Perkins, home-visiting IBCLC Lactation Consultant from Chatham, New Jersey.

Ohio WIC and HUG Your Baby Collaboration

Great news from Ohio! The Ohio Health Dept has purchased The HUG DVD for their WIC breastfeeding counselors - for the whole state!

Ohio has a special Breastfeeding Peer Helper Program. "The Breastfeeding Peer Helper Program is a program designed to enhance the breastfeeding support services provided by WIC. Breastfeeding peer helpers are women in the community with personal breastfeeding experience. They provide mother-to-mother breastfeeding education and support which in turns helps mothers successfully reach their breastfeeding goals. Peer Helpers assist by establishing a connection with families, helping mothers in managing common concerns, providing ongoing encouragement and offering comfort outside the usual workday. The development of the Breastfeeding Peer Helper program has increased breastfeeding initiation and duration rates among the WIC population."

Nearly 400 HUG DVDs were recently mailed out and will be entering the lives of expectant and new parents very soon!

WIC Peer Counselors give feedback about HUG Training!

This month a classroom of NC Breastfeeding Peer Counselors completed the HUG Your Baby training. I was so impressed by the passion and dedication of these women who spend their days supporting breastfeeding mothers in their communities. Sharing success stories and challenging moments these WIC women and l learned from one anothers' experiences. Hear now what these professionals had to say about "Getting The HUG!"

100% "Strongly Agree or Agree" with "Today’s topics and activities were relevant to my work."

100% "Strongly Agree or Agree" with "The speakers used more than one method to present their topics (visual, verbal, written handout etc)."

100% "Strongly Agree or Agree" with "The speaker explained the topics clearly and understandably."

Do you have WIC counselors in your community who might benefit from HUG Training? If so, contact HUG Your Baby and bring The HUG to your neighborhood!

Local Health Department Experiences The HUG!

See what they have to say about this training.