Help with baby steps

As a perinatal nurse, Barbara Negelow encounters new parents who are overwhelmed by their tiny miracles.

“I saw the need for strong postpartum and parent support,” she said. “And who does that best but a nurse?”

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Leita Cowart / Special

Barbara Negelow owns Ready Birth, a consulting practice. ‘I saw the need for strong postpartum and parent support. And who does that best but a nurse?’ she said.

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Twenty-five years ago, Negelow went beyond the boundaries of her full-time career as a nurse and started a consulting practice: Ready Birth.

She combines years of nursing expertise with a sympathetic approach to educate her clients — the soon-to-be and new parents.

Many of them come to Negelow for her insight on various parenting topics, including how to best bond with their babies and drawing up wills.

“I’m not a blood-and-guts nurse; I’m more concerned with psycho-social issues,” said Negelow, of Brookhaven. “Having a baby is embarking on a new psychological adventure called ‘making a family.’ ”

Negelow’s professional and personal support was critical for client Julie Buckley.

“I have suffered three miscarriages in just two short years,” Buckley said. “I’ve turned to Barbara for the loving care and empathetic support I need at this moment. Barbara sees and understands my insecurities and anxiety.”

One of Negelow’s key services is setting up postpartum support groups. And if a mother isn’t comfortable in a group setting, she works with her one-on-one.

“There are many new moms who are not overwhelmed but are uneducated about making the transition to motherhood,” Negelow said. “It affects our friendships, our work situations, our relationship with our significant other.

“And with more single and adoptive moms, there are a lot of people who don’t have a lot of extended family and supportive friends around. I can provide that niche.”

Negelow, who was herself a single mother, finds her greatest rewards when she sees clients make smooth transitions into parenthood.

“I develop a relationship with my patients before the baby comes so they have someone who can help them cope with whatever it is they need to deal with,” she said. “Seeing them do that is so gratifying.”