HUG Your Baby really made me reflect how I teach my WIC clients. Of course, we speak on feeding cues and satiety, latching, infant nutrition, but I sometimes feel I am lacking something. What i realized I was lacking with my families was sharing more knowledge of infant behavior. Let me explain to you how far that education goes!
A mom, dad, and grandma all came into the office with a sweet 4-week-old baby girl. You could feel the love of all three family members as they shared gazes on that little girl. Mom and dad upon conversation seemed stressed. They reported baby just seem to cry a lot. I could tell infants weight gain and food intake was adequate after assessment.
One thing that amazed me from the Hug Your Baby training and really caught my attention was the SOS signs so many parents miss.
So I got out my freshly bought tic-tac toy inspired by Jan’s videos. Instructed mom to hold infant craddled in front of her and speak to her baby in a soft voice. The baby was in the ready zone looking at her mom but also turning her head to father’s voice which I broadcasted to the family. As soon as mom started moving the tik-tac baby instantly started to follow and mom almost cried she thought it was so neat. After a while infant was moving zones and getting very sleep. Infant started to look away from mom and dad and move her body around quickly. Her breath started to increase to a faster rate. We discussed these signs out loud for family to hear discussing the SOS signals. I shared some calming tips with the family and baby quickly fell asleep after nursing a few minutes on mom’s breast. We discussed different zones after baby fell asleep. And after we finished our visit Mom and Dad told me that was the best WIC visit they ever had. They said, "We wish someone had taken the time to do this with our first child, we appreciate it so much! We learned so much and could not think you enough!" I have lots of positive stories from WIC, but this one really made me feel like a better educator.
To sum it up, I helped my entire WIC staff sign up for Hug Your Baby Classes! These classes are wonderful for all educators wanting to increase their skills and effectively help their clients.