New Virginian IBCLC, Shameka Watson, Experiences the Benefit of HUG Your Baby Training and Resources

New Lactation Consultant from Virginia shares her HUG Your Baby journey.

As a newly certified IBCLC I am so fortunate to add HUG strategies to my professional tool box to help parents interpret their baby’s cues, fostering a sense of confidence that is crucial during the early days and weeks. It’s amazing to witness the shift in parents from feeling overwhelmed by their baby’s cries to feeling empowered as they learn to respond effectively. This change not only strengthens the parent-child bond but also reinforces the foundational skills needed for successful breastfeeding and infant care. 

 The insights gained from the HUG Your Baby course extend beyond the immediate interactions with infants. They provide a "Roadmap to Breastfeeding Success," empowering parents to navigate challenges with clarity and reassurance. The knowledge that comes from understanding developmental milestones and behaviors is invaluable in reducing anxiety and enhancing parental confidence when breastfeeding in hopes to extend the duration of breastfeeding outcomes. 

 I am looking forward to better serving families and educating them on their baby’s needs. It’s a privilege to celebrate how this program fosters understanding, connection, and success in parenting. I am forever grateful for this opportunity!

SC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor is New Certified HUG Teacher!

Mercedez Moore shares her experience.

I am a Certified Lactation Counselor and Senior Breastfeeding Peer Counselor with WIC at my local health department in South Carolina. I was so excited to be able to do this course and become a Certified Hug Teacher! 

 I have breastfeed all three of my kids. They are now 13 years old, 9 years old, and 7 years old. My first baby, I was 18 and I didnt know what I was doing so I only lasted 2 months (but very proud of that 2 months). I did not know anything about breastfeeding at that time. By time my 2nd was born, I made sure I was prepared because I knew that I wanted to be more successful with her with breastfeeding. We breastfed for 2 year until she weaned herself, the week that I was already 15 weeks pregnant again. My 3rd and I had a great journey, though full of bumps, we made it to 3.5 years of breastfeeding. We also was able to donate over 9,000 oz. We not only made it to 3.5 years of breastfeeding but also donated and were able to get one baby to her 1st birthday that was adopted and the adopted mom only wanted breast milk for her, and then two more babies to 6 months of breast milk bottles! Now we did have a tough time with mastitis muliple times, severe oversupply (pumping 16 to0 20 oz out each session) and thrush but we made it! 

 I am very thankful for the HUG your baby workshop and I use it all the time in my clinic when needed. Thank you so much for this opportunuity.

Kara Trahant, IBCLC - new Certified HUG Teacher serving families in Virginia

Kara Trahant, IBCLC, works with the Motherhood parent education program in Virginia. Let's celebrate how HUG Your Baby contributes to this important work!

As an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), I understand the significant impact my role has on prenatal and postpartum mothers and their families. Educating families about newborn behavior and its influence on breastfeeding is essential, and I have found The HUG program to be an invaluable resource in this regard. This program has transformed how I support families, enabling them to confidently interpret and respond to their baby’s needs. 

 My greatest joy comes from seeing families transition from feeling overwhelmed to feeling empowered simply by understanding how babies communicate. Early reassurance is crucial for building parental competence as they embark on their parenting journey. Recently, I assisted a sleep-deprived mother, who had been self-assured during her prenatal HUG education, regain her confidence after giving birth. By guiding her through calming strategies such as talking to her baby, bringing baby’s hands together in midline, and shushing, I observed her relax and reconnect with her baby as the baby calmed. These experiences underscore the importance of both prenatal and postpartum education, and I consider The HUG Program to be a valuable asset in this process! 

 The "Roadmap to Breastfeeding Success" is also an essential resource, helping parents navigate their baby’s first year and understand typical developmental changes that might otherwise be misunderstood. By offering practical tools and educating parents about potential challenges, it significantly enhances their confidence and reduces anxiety. What a gift!

IBCLC with a Community Parent Education Program is a New Certified HUG Teacher

 Kelley MacArthur, RN, IBCLC, is the Clinical Coordinator for the Motherhood Program in Poquoson, VA. She shares her "Reflections" about her HUG Your Baby training.

I work in early intervention as a Registered Nurse (RN) and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). The HUG program has been an invaluable addition to our services, providing essential education on newborn behavior and its impact on breastfeeding. This program has proven instrumental in aiding families as they transition into parenthood. Frequently, I encounter parents struggling to understand breastfeeding challenges and their baby's needs. The HUG program effectively teaches parents to interpret their baby's communication and respond appropriately.

 

The "Roadmap to Breastfeeding Success" is an excellent resource for parents, guiding them through their baby's first year and the many normal developmental changes that may otherwise be misconstrued as problems. Educating parents about potential challenges and equipping them with the tools to address these issues has significantly improved their confidence and reduced anxiety.  

One family I worked with faced significant challenges consoling their breastfed baby. They responded to every cry by feeding him, which resulted in the baby gaining almost 14 ounces in one week and experiencing constant fussiness. Utilizing the HUG program, the family learned to better understand and respond to their baby's cues, incorporating various soothing techniques beyond nursing. The following week, they reported that their baby was much happier, cried less, and gained an appropriate amount of weight. These results gave the parents the confidence to care for their baby effectively.

New Certified HUG Teacher Brings Her Expertise to the Care of Late Preterm Infants and their Families

Rachael Helms is a nurse and lactation consultant with Novant Health in North Carolina. We are excited that she is leading a pilot project to incorporate HUG Your Baby's training and resources about the Late Preterm Infant into her care of these babies and their families. 

 As I recount my experiences with the utilization of HUG your baby techniques, I wish to convey the profound impact these skills have had on enhancing my assessment skills as both a nurse and lactation consultant. On one occasion, upon entering the room of a baby born at 36 weeks gestational age, weighing 6 pounds and 1 ounce, I shared the information of infant zones and insights gained from the Late Preterm Course with the parents. After engaging, listening and educating the parents. I determined that this particular infant required further medical attention. 

 The parents shared concerns regarding their 40-hour-old baby's difficulty in waking for feeds and apparent prolonged deep sleep stages. Moreover, due to the family's dark skin tone, assessing jaundice in the child presented challenges. Subsequently, after relaying these observations to the attending nurse and neonatal nurse practitioner (NNP), a bilirubin check was conducted, confirming the necessity for treatment due to hyperbilirubinemia. 

 Through the educational framework of HUG Your baby, emphasizing "Engage, Empower, and Educate," and utilizing infant zone concepts, the parents were empowered to articulate their apprehensions effectively. This instance underscores one of the numerous occasions where HUG your baby educational materials have not only enhanced my work but also empowered parents in nurturing their infants. I express my gratitude for this invaluable resource. Thank you!

Arrian Tate, new Certified HUG Teacher in New Orleans

 

Arrian works with the amazing parent education program, TrainingGrounds, in New Orleans. She, and all of her colleagues, have worked hard to become Certified HUG Teachers. Every day they give a HUG to parents and babies in their wonderful city!

Here Arrian shares her experience with HUG Your Baby.

I really believe the HUG Your Baby course has improved not only my range of knowledge and how I respond, but also how I interact with the baby and parent(s). One HUG experience that was meaningful to me was when a parent was breastfeeding her liltle one who was only a month old. She commented that he always fall asleep whenever he feed and she feels like he's not getting enough milk. I explained to her some the information I remembered about feeding, including that babies sometimes fall asleep during feeding times because of that special hormone being released and also shared some tips on breastfeeding. I asked her how much does baby make wet/soiled diapers, and also gave her the information on baby's weight fluxuations and that he is absolutely getting all he needs. I concluded by inviting the parent to a take a HUG course, explaining that all these tips, cues, and information can be learned in ths course, and to also attend a Baby Cafe session that we offer wher she can also connect with not only a Lactation Specialist, but other breastfeeding moms throughtout various stages of the breastfeeding journey as well.

Insegnante HUG Certificato (CHT), Samuel Dallarovere

 

Sono un osteopata pediatrico da circa 10 anni vede un consulente dell’allattamento IBCLC  e vedo spesso dei genitori in confusione sulla gestione dei loro figli. Non hanno idea di cosa vogliono comunicare loro e di come fare per risolvere i piccoli problemi dei loro figli. 

Spesso si agitano e ingigantiscono i problemi che si parano davanti a loro. 

HUG YOUR BABY  mi ha permesso di avere uno strumento comunicativo da trasmettere ai genitori. Insegnare loro a come riconoscere gli stati del neonato e quando è più ricettivo per instaurare una interazione e quando invece non è più il momento di interagire. 

Trovo che queste strategie siano utili al genitore anche quando ci sono dei parenti che continuano a sovraeccitare il bambino per fare in modo di intervenire prontamente ed evitare di portare al pianto il bimbo 

Tengo mensilmente un corso per le mamme per insegnare loro la gestione dei primi 12 mesi di vita di loro figlio. Trovo che il primo anno di vita sia per loro il più impegnativo in quando devono imparare a conoscere il loro bambino. 

Il corso spazia dalla gestione del sonno del neonato all’interpretazione del linguaggio del neonato, alla gestione dell’allattamento e ai temperamenti di Thomas e Chess

Le mamme che partecipano a questo corso si rendono conto di quanto possano fare per il loro figlio e di quanto sia importante l’osservazione per poter imparare giorno per giorno a comunicare con loro figlio. 

Sono contento di aver fatto questo corso perché mi ha dato delle competenze in più.

Insegnante HUG Certificato (CHT), Francesca Baldessari

Sono una fisioterapista e mi occupo di materno-infantile fin dalla mia laurea. Ho completato la formazione Touchpoints Brazelton ed altre formazioni Brazelton ed ho sentito fortemente mio questo approccio alla famiglia ed alla genitorialità. Per questo motivo HUG your Baby era per me il naturale proseguimento di questo percorso, rendendo ancora più pratici alcuni elementi che avevo già trovato nell'approccio di Brazelton. 

Quest'impostazione pratica mi ha permesso di dare alle famiglie elementi e spunti concreti da cui partire e costruire la propria sicurezza come genitori. Nelle famiglie che ho incontrato ho trovato proprio questo, bisogno di ascolto e rassicurazione rispetto al proprio operato come genitori. HUG Your Baby dà una risposta concreta e immediata a questo: dando chiavi di lettura facili e chiare rispetto a cosa sta comunicando il bambino il genitore si sente sicuro nel poter sperimentare e mettere in gioco, secondo il proprio carattere ed il proprio stile genitoriale, strategie per dare risposta a quello specifico bisogno. 

Un papà è rimasto particolarmente colpito dai segnali comportamentali di SOS. si era infatti convinto che il proprio bambino lo avesse preso in antipatia invece si è reso conto che le sue proposte in quel momento per il suo bambino erano un po' troppo "forti" e nel momento in cui è riuscito a calibrare la sua interazione si è commosso nel vedere come il suo bambino non lo evitava più, ma anzi lo guardava fisso negli occhi.

 HUG your Baby è diventato ormai parte integrante della maggior parte dei trattamenti con i piccolissimi e le loro famiglie ed ogni volta è una scoperta, sia per me che per loro.

Erika Moore, IBCLC, new Certifiied HUG Teacher!

Ericka Moore is a IBCLC at the Marion County WIC office in Ocala, Florida. Here she shares her experience becoming a Certified HUG Teacher.

The Hug Your Baby training has connected the dots for me as a lactation consultant. All my Hug Your Baby experiences are meaningful. I can say that this training has given me great tools to assist families with circumstances that can affect breastfeeding (like sleep states, temperment and SOS). . It's always challenging to give information to families in a way they can understand and utilize in their lives. Hug Your Baby bridges the gap between understanding developmental infant milestones and its impact upon breastfeeding. In my experience, it seems breastfeeding is always blamed then minimized or stopped altogether because baby is behaving in a way that is quite normal. Both breastfeeding and infant development are a series of skills that a baby must master in order to grow and mature. However, it seems abnormal to parents who do not know what they do not know. It is a great feeling to give parents knowledge that their baby is behaving, really communicating, their desires and when we listen we are building the bonds for a great parent child relationship and a healthy breastfeeding journey.

Anne Kwiatkowski, New Certified HUG Teacher.

Anne Kwiatkowski, New Certified HUG Teacher and shares her HUG Your Baby journey with us.

I have enjoyed the videos of the HUGs methods. I am impressed at how much Jan has figured out with these little ones. It never ceases to amaze me how alike babies are no matter their circumstances. That predictability facilitates the teaching of the methods I’ve learned. 

 I have certainly garnered some tips that I have been able to pass along. Learning about the sleep zones was especially enlightening. I was one of the folks guilty of intervening with a baby when they were in their light sleep zone. I have already passed that information along to several new moms/grandmas. One new mom reported back that using that information has allowed her to get more sleep at night. 

 One of my favorite tips was putting the babies’ hands together over their chest when trying to soothe them. I cuddle babies in a local NICU and was itching to try that method. Lo and behold, one day I was working with a fussy baby and thought I would try that technique. I can happily report that it worked. I was thrilled! I will certainly keep that one in ‘my wheelhouse’! 

 I think the process of broadcasting and commentating is a skill that can be beneficial in not only boosting a new parent’s confidence but also just informing them of something they may not be recognizing. I enjoy seeing the pride on a new parent’s face when I point out that their baby is looking at them and are clearly learning to trust them. They beam and I can just feel the love. One of the moms I worked with suggested everyone should have access to this information, as babies don’t come with user manuals.  I agree that this information would have been so helpful when I was a new mother. I am using some of the information I have learned when I see my friends welcoming their grandchildren. 

 The majority of my career was spent providing patient education. It was a job I loved. Now that I am retired, I look forward to being able to educate while having some baby interaction. I anticipate using the broadcasting and commentating process with some of the gals that attend our session. I appreciate the opportunity to potentially have some impact on little lives. Thank you for the opportunity to learn some very valuable information that I look forward to sharing.

TrainingGround's Daniela De Marchena De La Roda, Certified HUG Teacher

 He sido nanny por más de 6 años y ahora soy orientadora para padres desde hace 6 meses para TrainingGrounds. 

Me pareció muy interesante tener la capacidad de darle nombre y orden a cierta información que conocía parcialmente sobre los bebés debido a mi experiencia laboral, y ahora poder expresarla de manera más clara a las familias a las que atiendo. Además, realmente encontré que todo el contenido acerca de las zonas y los estados de los bebés me es muy útil en mi trabajo, pues padres/madres y cuidadores siempre tienen preguntas acerca del comportamiento del bebé, sus ciclos de sueño, y cómo ayudarlos a calmar. También me llamó la atención poder adquirir un poco de conocimiento con respecto a la lactancia materna y cómo esta se ve afectada por diferentes circunstancias en el desarrollo del bebé. 

Planeo incorporar HUG Your Baby en mi trabajo como orientadora para padres de dos formas: Una, trayendo la información del curso a las familias hispanas expectantes o con bebés que visitan nuestro We PLAY Center en manera de conversación, bien sea cuando manifiesten inquietudes o como parte de nuestra interacción en el Center; y dos, ofreciendome como instructora del programa HUG Your Baby para familias hispanas en un espacio de una hora los viernes en la mañana. 

 En el caso de mi labor como nanny, en caso de que continúe en este rol, pretendo ofrecer mi conocimiento a las familias por medio de nuestras interacciones cotidianas. 

 Cuando ya estaba trayendo la información del programa a mis interacciones con las familias que atiendo, me sorprendió que algunas de ellas empezaron un poco resistentes a los comentarios que hacía con respecto a los movimientos de sus niños(as), pero luego lo encontraron interesante. La descripción de nuestras observaciones ayuda a aclarar dudas de los padres acerca de lo que ellos también están observando. 

Tina Colbaugh from Cleveland, Tennessee becomes a Certified HUG teacher

Tina is a Maternity Case Manager with Blue in Tennessee. She shares a story from Certified HUG Teacher training. 

 One of my members was having trouble with difficulty latching and baby not sleeping for longer than 2 hours. Baby boy was only 2 weeks old. 

 zi explained to our member that latching takes a while for him to learn, and her as well. I helped mom with a more comfortable position, getting him in the correct latching position and also helping her with calming before he feeds. 

 Mother also watched for feeding cues before he become inconsolable. I helped mom, with talking to baby boy and putting his hands on his chest and whispering to him during the night, for a minute to help him learn calming techniques on his own. When she fed him, I told her not to turn on lots of lights, keeping the environment calm and peaceful. not to touch him too much or talk to him, which would cause too much stimulation. Then, once he fell asleep, she laid him down and wenr to where he could not see her. This took a couple of weeks and she did have a roller coaster up and down of going from 2 hrs to 4hrs and back and forth After the 4th week, the latch got better and the sleep was pretty consistent in 3-4 hrs between feeding. W

I will continue to follow this mother and help her get some time for herself as she has 2 other older children and spouse, and she has returned back to work. She needs to be able to enjoy this baby and this process, and not feel so stressed out.

New Certified HUG Teacher in North Carolina

Kathy Atchison from North Carolina is a nurse and a daycare owner as she completes her master's degree.

 

I have really enjoyed learning how to use evidence-based information to help my parents recognize their baby's development and use that information to meet their baby's needs. One parent had feeding issues and her baby was underweight. By educating the mother on her baby's extended rebooting phase, the mother was able to acknowledge that her baby was hungry. After a well-visit with her doctor, a feeding plan was established and both mother and baby appeared happier and better bonded in just a few days.   

I appreciate the broadcasting techniques and how parents respond to hearing positive signs about their baby's that might have been overlooked previously. One new father felt rejected by one of his twins and after broadcasting how the baby acts with him, helped him view his baby differently. The smiles gained during each parent visit was rewarding and very satisfying. I had babies of various ages, and each parent seemed more relaxed following the visit then when I first arrived. The parent visits were fun and engaging and helped parents in a way I had not considered. The parents seemed to view their babies in a more positive light and the enjoyment was shared by all.