Mitzi Allcia Garcia Zarate is a nurse and lactation consultant in Chihuahua, Mexico. As a participant in the Breastfeeding on the Border organization, Mitzi attended the all-day HUG Your Baby program in New Mexico. She has now completed the Certified HUG Teacher program and has incorporated HUG resources and techniques into her practice. She shared the following reflection of her HUG Your Baby training.
I have a bachelor's degree in nursing,
certified as a consultant in breastfeeding, for more than five years. During
all this time I had dedicated myself to support mothers in their problems with
breastfeeding, to explain "normal" behaviors of their babies to the
breast, always looking for families to feel satisfied with their experience in
breastfeeding. Parents always tell me about their baby's behavior, to which I
was interested in learning more about the subject, when I met the Hug your baby
program, I knew that this would be the perfect complement to my work with
families.
The H.U.G. It has allowed me to
obtain knowledge and skills, which complement my training, to help families
live, not only a successful breastfeeding, but also a pleasant fatherhood. I
feel safe to support the parents in knowing the behavior of their babies and in
how to react to their needs, and in this way, favor the establishment and
duration of breastfeeding.
I have incorporated the knowledge
of the HUG program into the breastfeeding classes, for the benefit of the
families, managing to correct erroneous ideas transmitted to them by other
people, and making them feel more confident in their capacity to take care of
their new baby. In the trainings that I offer to fellow professionals of
health, I have also incorporated the HUG program, so that they themselves understand
the "language" of the babies, and in this way they can support the
parents in the discovery of their new child. I appreciate the opportunity to be
a certified HUG teacher, and be able to help so many families on the beautiful
path of fatherhood.