About

About me…

I created LRS Beginnings as an extension of my belief in listening to, respecting and supporting babies and their families. I want families to feel prepared and know they will be able to support their baby’s development, learning to trust their inner wisdom.  I blend my expertise in infant development with my experience with bodywork – craniosacral therapy, myofascial release and energy work – to ease movement restrictions and promote symmetrical motor development. I teach parents to easily incorporate activities into daily routines so that they are enjoyable for everyone. My background working with infants over the past 20 years in a variety of settings has given me a deep understanding of typical and atypical development, the crucial role of preventative measures and the importance of identifying asymmetry as early as possible in an infant’s life.

I became a physical therapist because I wanted to work with children, babies in particular. Upon graduating from Bradley University in 2000 with a degree in physical therapy, I sought to learn as much as I could and grow as a pediatric physical therapist. I started at the Children’s Hospital of Illinois in Peoria where I got to work with children in a variety of settings, and fell in love with working with infants in the NICU. I first became a Child Passenger Safety Technician in 2002 to be able to instruct parents in how to safely install speciality car seats for these tiny babies to go home. I continued working with infants and children in hospital inpatient and outpatient settings when I moved to Chicago to work at Children’s Memorial Hospital (renamed Lurie Children’s Hospital). To escape the cold winters, I moved to California to work at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles where I focused on hospitalized children. I was passionate about improving the way we support the development of our infants, especially in the Neonatal Critical Care Unit. It was at this time that I became a Certificated Lactation Educator Counselor through UCSD Extension. I continued to deepen my skills and expand my thinking including studying Craniosacral Therapy, Myofascial Release and Infant Massage. I also became a Board Certified Pediatric Clinical Specialist. As my family’s needs changed, I stepped away from hospital work to support infants and parents by working in Early Intervention, providing physical therapy services in homes or other natural environments.

Motherhood has been my greatest source of joy and inspiration. I watched early tummy time blossom into independent mobility and witnessed how talking, reading and singing promotes language development. I felt the closeness encouraged by baby wearing that also promotes a nice round head. I observed how being prepared for breastfeeding leads to success. I also realized as a mom how impossible it is to get everything done. So, I don’t remember the exact age of every milestone achieved, and that’s ok. I have experienced every stage of an infant’s development from a variety of viewpoints; I know the all-too-real worry about every little thing AND the deepest love imaginable.