New Certified Hug Instructor Reflects On Incorporating Hug Your Babe Into Her Practice

Meagan Shapiro is a lactation educator working inwards  Carbondale, Colorado. Hear how HUG Your Baby has provided her novel skills to back upward immature families. 

As a certified lactation educator through CAPPA, I function inwards tandem amongst an IBCLC too render back upward to families pre too postnatally.  The HUG plan has been a phenomenal add-on to my quiver of tools.  I am a voracious reader too enthusiastic pupil of lactation, too I think that earlier taking the courses I had a style to generally apparel my "academic hat"; pregnant that I shared a lot of clinical data inwards meetings amongst parents.  Often I would exit my consults feeling I hadn't actually met the menage unit of measurement where THEY were, but rather where I was.  The HUG plan has given me a priceless format inwards which to instruct parents most the development, zones, SOSs, too eating patterns of their babe without over-communicating or larn also clinical.  It's allowed me to actually split upward my wish to digest too assimilate immense amounts of clinical noesis from the actual facial expression upward to facial expression upward function I create amongst families.  

I tin flame think of a few times inwards the yesteryear months when the HUG strategies actually made an touching on on families.  My favorite is of a menage unit of measurement who was struggling piece mom was at work.  The good pregnant grandparents too nanny were feeding 20-28 ounces of milk during mom's 12 hr shift because they were misinterpreting baby's zones too SOSs every bit hunger cues.  By supporting this menage unit of measurement amongst HUG strategies, the aid providers felt empowered too the woman raise felt relieved that she could inwards fact take in plenty milk for her son.  

Perhaps, though, the most poignant reflection I lead keep is most myself every bit a novel mother.  With my lactation chapeau on, I larn too then excited most the latest clinical data too I larn enthusiastic too get down to part it amongst clients.  But this plan allowed me to reverberate on my ain experience amongst my 2 daughters when they were each inwards their ain respective newborn stages.  I recall feeling all of my clinical noesis autumn away from me, every bit though I couldn't fifty-fifty actually accomplish it.  I said to my mentor, an IBCLC, "my mom encephalon too my lactation encephalon aren't speaking to each other!"  She laughed lovingly at me too reminded me that, of course, they couldn't mayhap connect correct now.  It was such a vulnerable too raw time, too no amount of clinical noesis or experience could preclude me from beingness simply that:  a raw too vulnerable mother.  So, piece moving through the HUG curriculum, I idea extensively of myself inwards those newborn stages too how all I wanted inwards the basis was to endure seen, to lead keep my babe endure seen, to origin everything that was happening inwards "normal newborn or feeding behavior" too then that I could trust, relax, too autumn inwards dearest amongst my babe without worry or fear.  

How ironic, that it would accept this course of written report to remind me of that too to convey me total circle to my electrical current clients amongst whom, upon reflection, I tin flame tend to endure also clinical - the really affair I did NOT necessitate every bit a novel mother.  What a gift to tap dorsum into that vulnerability, too to endure given the amazing tools too linguistic communication of the HUG plan too then that I tin flame conform too ameliorate my might to talk too connect amongst novel families inwards a dissimilar way;  a agency that allows them inwards plow to trust too connect amongst their babies, accomplish their breastfeeding goals, too experience seen, heard, too supported.  

I am very grateful for the program.  Many, many cheers to you lot Ms. Tedder!  This function has actually helped me to fine melody my communication too delivery amongst immature families.  What a treasure!