Cairns, Australia Gets A Big Hug!

We had a quick flying from Adelaide to Cairns in addition to were greeted past times the most amazing "dead of winter" weather. We shed our fleeces, hats in addition to gloves in addition to set on lightweight shirts in addition to sunscreen to taste the tropical climate!

I felt directly at abode when I unpacked my HUG workshop gear inwards the Cairns Base Hospital, where wellness professionals are trained at the James Cook medical school. Since Cairns wellness professionals must oftentimes go far in addition to broad for relevant continuing education, they appreciated our Australian host belongings a HUG workshop here.

During the past times 2 workshops I cause got spent to a greater extent than fourth dimension demonstrating actual techniques to engage a newborn to aspect at a toy or confront in addition to response to a voice. I presented my highly valued developmental assessment tool: an AU$2 box of cherry-red TicTacs! I explained that non exclusively create they cause got a non bad sound, you lot tin swallow them if you lot forget your lunch!

I remind participants that most newborns cause got a 2nd of hesitation earlier their eyes start to motion inwards response to visual or auditory stimulation. “Be even then in addition to halt shaking the rattle or moving your caput a few seconds when you lot come across this hesitation,” I explain. “If you lot don’t, the infant may shipping out an SOS in addition to exactly 'Shut Down'." I warned that it is probable to involve practicing this technique amongst at to the lowest degree 10 babies earlier getting comfortable amongst it. But equally nosotros are fond of saying, "It takes courage to larn something new!"

Several of the nurses, midwives in addition to LCs expressed trouble organisation nearly how to response "if the infant exactly can't create it."


Since it is our chore to come across EVERY infant equally a success, I demo in addition to verbalize over video of a baby’s steps to gaining this skill. When a infant does non orient equally expected, the professional person tin say, "I come across your infant gets serenity in addition to even then when she sees the toy. That's great! In the adjacent calendar week or then she volition endure able to aspect at that toy amongst her eyes in addition to after endure able to motion both her eyes in addition to her caput equally the toy moves." Such data reassures parents in addition to gives them the mightiness to come across their infant grow inwards her engagement amongst the world.

The "Broadcasting in addition to Commentating" practise session was particularly fun inwards Cairns. Participants' comments included: "I noticed I started to come across to a greater extent than equally I was Broadcasting"; "Broadcasting is similar learning a novel language"; and, "I'm certain a bring upwards would experience I've actually connected amongst their baby." What at starting fourth dimension seemed similar a elementary idea, at nowadays seemed, to some, equally merely amazing!

I finished my 24-hour interval having a special conversation amongst a maternal-child wellness nurse who travels past times little airplane to see isolated Aboriginal in addition to Islander villages. She has remarkable pictures, videos, in addition to stories to part nearly her patients, who cause got potent household unit of measurement bonds, pregnant struggles amongst poverty, in addition to amazing passion for their babies. We brain-stormed nearly the possibility of collaborating on a HUG video mades particularly for Australia's indigenous families.



And of course, no trip to Cairns is consummate without a snorkel trip to the Great Barrier Reef. It was indeed a privilege to come across a reef arrangement of this magnitude. As exciting equally that was, it did non travail Jim in addition to me equally much joy in addition to laughter equally watching each other squirm into our wetsuits!