History - Overview 

October 1, 1986. I'll never forget the day. After nearly a year of dreaming, planning, meeting and designing, I went to St. Mary's Hospital and Decatur Memorial Hospital to meet new parents on the OB units to celebrate their babies' births and talk about their wonderful potentials. And on that first day I caught a glimpse of how complex this work would be, as I met first a happy-but-frightened couple who had lost their first baby to SIDS, and later a glowing teen mom who also happened to be deaf and mute.

I realized early on that every family would be utterly unique, and yet would experience so many of the same emotions and tasks. That marvelous dichotomy--that every family sees their baby as "special" and yet desires that their baby also be "normal" and like all other babies continues to be a joy for those of us who share with new parents.

And nowhere is this juxtaposition of seemingly conflicted motivations more apparent than on the OB unit! Every parent wants to know that her baby is like every baby, average in development, displaying the usual complement of ten fingers, ten toes, normal reflexes and unremarkable physiology. Yet, parents can't help but notice that of all the babies in the nursery, theirs does seem to be just a bit brighter, cuddlier, stronger and more beautiful! And so the love affair begins!

How grateful I am to be in a profession which provides opportunities daily to share this exquisite experience with families. As we blow out ten candles for Baby TALK this fall, I will be whispering my own prayer of thanks that I have had the opportunity to be part of this work!

If you would like to read more, please check out On the Origins of Baby TALK.

Best wishes,