What I have learned from the HUGS program is that every baby is different in personality, so is every person and every class. I have to assess the group and improvise at times, be ready for the unexpected, and to focus on some parts of the program more and less on other parts depending on the knowledge and experience of the participants and whether or not the baby is newborn. Like in teaching and nursing, students, patients and babies are the “teachers” and we are the “students” always learning something from each person/baby. With the support of the agencies listed in the introduction, HUGS program provides new and repetitive information to help the participants learn and remember the teachings/concepts on how to care for and "listen" to their newborn baby.
Things have changed drastically since I had babies so, this was a good learning experience for me, as well understanding the new models and ways of doing things. I truly wish I had learned the HUGs Program back when my babies were born. These are concepts I did not learn in nursing school, and I did not focus on pediatrics during my Masters’s in nursing program. I think back to when birthing seemed to be “barbaric” in a sense and now it has become so much more natural and “out of the closet”. So much knowledge has been discovered and shared openly.
When I see babies now in class and in public, I observe what the parents are doing and “listen” to the baby’s body and behavioral “baby talk”. I wish I could just “tell” them and demonstrate on the spot the simple and effective techniques I learned in HUGS.
Thank you Jan Tedder for your work and dedication of the HUG Your Baby Program!