Today we’d like to introduce you to Katherine Bridges.
Katherine, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I have always wanted to be a labor & delivery nurse. For as long as I can remember, I was always so fascinated by the birth process and birth stories. I remember watching “A Baby Story” on TLC even as a young child. My grandmother, whom I much admire, was also a labor & delivery nurse, and she modeled the profession so well.
In nursing school, we were exposed to all areas of nursing, and I felt most drawn to Women’s Health and Pediatrics. During school, I worked part time at the nearby Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. The more I learned in school and in practical experience, I found myself more and more interested in these two specialty areas. Upon graduating from nursing school, I leaped faith and moved to Atlanta with my best friend from school.
At that time, nursing jobs for new grads were scarce, so I ended up taking a job as a post-op surgical nurse until a more desirable position became available in Women’s services. Sure enough, after about a year or so, I got the opportunity to work with postpartum patients as well as their newborn babies in Women’s Services. I loved it, and a few months later, I landed my dream job in Labor & Delivery at Northside Hospital, a facility that does the most deliveries in the entire country! It was crazy busy and hard work, but I loved every minute of learning the ins and outs of pregnancy and delivering babies.
Eight years later, I still work part time at Northside in Labor & Delivery. I also have recently branched out to start my own business called Parenting with Purpose to help support, encourage, and give confidence to new moms.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
About a year after I started working in L&D, I had a baby of my own. I assumed between my experience as a nurse and many years of babysitting, the transition to motherhood would be an easy one. I was so wrong! I had a difficult delivery with postpartum complications. I had a very colicky baby who didn’t sleep. I felt alone and isolated as I navigated my new role as a mom. I compared myself to many friends who also had “perfect” newborns who slept through the night early on while I was still waking up multiple times a night with my six month old. I was exhausted, anxious, and not enjoying this precious time with my new baby.
When my son was almost seven months old, I stumbled upon a Moms on Call book. Moms on Call is a 3 part book series written by pediatric nurses that include basic medical advice as well as feeding, sleep, and schedule help for moms. I decided to give their schedules and sleep methods a try for the three nights before we had company coming in town for Christmas. You know what??? They worked! Within three nights, my baby was putting himself to sleep and sleeping 12 uninterrupted hours overnight and napping twice a day. I had a consistent and predictable daytime schedule. I had a newfound confidence, and so much less anxiety moving forward from that point.
I couldn’t stop talking about how Moms on Call had changed my perspective on being a mom. I was well-rested and enjoyed the moments with my baby. I knew that I had a mission to help other new moms.
Please tell us about Parenting with Purpose.
My business is Parenting with Purpose. I am a trained Moms on Call consultant. I work with parents of babies and toddlers from 0-4 years old. I offer a variety of consultations to support moms near and far. I offer in-home consultations as well as virtual consultations via phone/FaceTime/email. During in-home consultations, I go into the homes of family’s with newborns to demonstrate basic newborn care such as bathing, diapering, nail clipping, and swaddling. This face-to-face interaction and hands-on demonstration is so important for new moms who are scared and unsure of what to do with their new baby.
For families that do not require in person sessions, I offer virtual consultations via phone and email. This allows me to answer specific feeding, sleep, and scheduling questions as well as work together to find a schedule that meets their family’s unique needs. I have worked with families all over the country as well as internationally. It is so fun connecting with moms and seeing that no matter where we live, we all face the same struggles.
I also offer pre-delivery consultations for expectant mothers. We talk about what to expect during the labor & delivery process, feeding options the first few weeks, and what products you really “need” for your newborn. We also do a nursery check to make sure that the room is set up and safe for when her baby arrives.
Toddler consultations are available over phone or email. Toddlers have a wide array of challenges, but I offer families tools to set boundaries while creating a peaceful home environment.
I am most proud when I get emails from clients saying their baby has slept through the night. I love being able to celebrate their successes and troubleshoot any struggles they are having. It is amazing to see the stress and anxiety melt away and be replaced with confidence as they find practical and predictable schedules lead to happy, well-rested moms and babies.
I feel like I am unique from other “sleep consultants” because I am a mom as well as a Registered Nurse. I love that I get to combine the knowledge I have as a nurse with my own practical day-to-day experience as a mom of three young children. My children are all very different, but I have found the Moms on Call methods to be very effective for each of them. I believe I can relate to and encourage so many moms out there, no matter what they are going through. I love being a judgement and guilt-free voice and strive to allow moms to make decisions with confidence as to what is best for their baby and their family.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory from my childhood is spending the summers at my grandparent’s house in Nebraska. They lived in a small town. We would spend the entire day at the huge community pool. Their town also has a big 4th of July celebration so we would get up early to go to all the activities, including cloggers, parades, concerts, and carnival rides. We would end the day watching fireworks from the perfect viewing spot in their driveway. We would stay for a month every summer, and it was such a change of pace from the busy suburbs I grew up into the small, slow paced feel of Seward, Nebraska. I will always cherish this time with my grandparents and all the memories we made.
Pricing:
- In-Home Consultations- $400 Includes a 2 hour home visit with demonstration of newborn care skills plus 3 months of email support (0-15 Months)
- Phone Consultation- $275 Includes a 1 hour phone call plus 3 months of email support (0-15 Months)
- Email Consultation- $175 Unlimited email support for 3 months plus personalized daytime schedule and sleep and feeding cheat sheets for moms (0-15 Months)
- Pre-Delivery Consultation- $250-350 (In-Home or Phone Options Available)
- Toddler Consultations- $175-275 (Phone or Email Options Available) Includes 3 months of email support. (15 Months-4 Years)
Contact Info:
- Email: parentingwithpurposeconsulting@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parenting.with.purpose/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parenting.with.purpose.consulting/
Image Credit:
Lauren Boyd Photography
Suggest a story: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
