Hello!
I started this blog as a communication tool for me to connect with other students and colleagues as I work my way through my getting my Master's Degree in Early Childhood Development. Below is a little bit more about who I am...
Circus Mom Listens- Families Fall Asleep
I ran away with the circus when I was twenty-two... I learned to fly and I learned the healing power of laughter. When I landed on the ground, I became a Birth Doula and learned the power of birth. When I had my first daughter, I learned that motherhood is hard and that support is tough to find in this culture. My idealistic ideas of motherhood were shattered. I was isolated, had an identity crisis, and didn’t know where to turn. So when I came out of the baby fog, I decided to help other parents with this tough transition into parenthood. I became a Certified Postpartum Doula and worked with families in their homes- teaching and supporting them as they worked towards becoming the parents they wanted to be. In addition, I taught Newborn Care, baby-wearing, and Mama Meditation Classes for years. I learned anecdotally that when parents are given simple information and support, listened to, allowed to cry or rage or laugh, and are validated for all of their hard work, they feel better and they do better. As a result, I saw babies also seemed to be happier, to sleep better, and to thrive, in general. I found overwhelmingly that as parents and babies were listened to, all of their lives improved. I wanted to know why. I began to research the basic neuroscience behind this shift and found my way to Hand In Hand Parenting, an organization that teaches parents simple neuroscience as a parenting tool. This information changed my life and my practice. I became a Certified Hand In Hand Parenting Instructor and started to teach Building Emotional Understanding courses. I integrated this new knowledge into all levels of my practice, and received effusive feedback from my clients. My private practice as a Parenting Coach was born. I specialize in Early Postpartum Education and Adjustment, and aid parents to find solutions for behavioral difficulties with children ages 0-5, such as difficulty connecting, frequent tantrums, hitting, separation anxiety, and, most commonly, infant sleep. I am now working as an Infant Sleep Consultant with Angelique Millette, PhD, a local Infant Sleep Consultant, Parenting Coach, and scientist. We are helping parents and babies to develop sleep strategies that take into account the needs, philosophy, temperament, and history of the whole family.
My clients report that I have a calmness- a certain
disarming ability to listen and reassure that makes them feel safe to share
their difficulties with me. I have developed a strong ability to communicate
with different kinds of people compassionately and to listen to all sides of a
story. I hope that this ability will greatly contribute to our online
discussions. My years making people laugh and my meditation experience help me
to keep a constant positive attitude and I find that that can be contagious.. I hope this will help me as much here as it has in the rest of my life. Though
I have earned certifications and studied on my own, the bulk of my knowledge is
experiential. I will, therefore, have some relevant anecdotes to share with the
community, but switching into an academic mode may prove challenging for me. Brevity,
in particular, is not my strong suit. Years of online teaching do make me feel
comfortable in the online classroom, though. My biggest challenge, for certain,
will be time management as my career is demanding and my family is always my
first priority. I am counting on my love
of the subject matter to make late night studying easier!
