Do you want to become a confident advocate for your child's medical needs? Are you searching for a solution to navigate the complex world of medical care for children with conditions? Join us as we welcome Kayleigh Koehler, a Child Life Specialist who has transformed into a medical parent. She will be sharing valuable insights and strategies on how you can achieve the ultimate goal of becoming a knowledgeable and effective advocate for your child's medical journey. Get ready to embark on a transformative journey towards becoming the empowered advocate your child needs.

Kayleigh Koehler is a remarkable and multifaceted individual who navigates through life wearing various hats. As a wife to her high school sweetheart Mitch and a mother to their charming four-year-old son, Hudson, Kayleigh's world is filled with love and profound resilience. Professionally, she is a dedicated child life specialist working tirelessly in a cardiac ICU. Her firsthand expertise and personal connection to her job started to take a unique and powerful perspective when her unborn son was diagnosed with a heart condition. Kayleigh's courage, wisdom, and gutsy perseverance inscribed an unforgettable chapter in her life story where her professional and personal world astoundingly intertwined.

Because of this experience, I am a better child life specialist. Because I understand the world in a different way that I simply could not understand when I wasn't a mom. - Kayleigh Koehler

 

 The key moments in this episode are:

00:00:00 - Introduction, 00:01:42 - Reflections on Trauma and Mental Health, 00:09:47 - Advocacy and Empathy in Child Life, 00:13:21 - Permission to Coexist with Messiness, 00:13:56 - Conclusion, 00:16:17 - Introducing a New Course for Parents, 00:17:25 - The Importance of Advocacy, 00:21:05 - Speaking Up for Change, 00:24:35 - The Pressure of Being a Parent Advocate, 00:27:08 - Differentiating Between Healthy and Unhealthy Advocacy, 00:30:45 - The Importance of Support and Self-Care, 00:31:38 - Utilizing Social Media for Connection, 00:32:03 - Prioritizing Mental Health, 00:33:08 - Dreams and Future Aspirations, 00:33:28 - Resources and Support

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When you download our starter kit, you’ll learn how to:

• Give medicine to your child without it becoming a wrestling match
• Prepare your child (and yourself) for a shot so they can feel less anxious
• Create and use a coping plan for any medical appointment or procedure

The first sign of sniffles, or worse, shouldn’t send you into a tailspin. Feel confident in your role as a parent and advocate, no matter what medical situation you’re facing.

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