A 2 Evening Series, Tuesday & Thursday, August 4 & 6th, 2026 from 6 to 8:00 pm (attend one or both classes)
Presented by Jenna Shaw, PhD, RN, NP, CNM, FACNM
Nurse-midwife and public health nurse leader
- This event has passed.
Every Cry Has a Story: Understanding the Needs of Foster Infants – Part 2
August 6 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Register in advance for this meeting.
Every cry, every movement, every feeding challenge, and every difficulty settling is a form of communication. Infants entering foster care often arrive carrying the effects of experiences that began before birth, including prenatal exposure to alcohol, nicotine, prescription medications, opioids, methamphetamine, or other substances, as well as maternal stress, trauma, domestic violence, inadequate prenatal care, or prematurity. Understanding these early experiences helps caregivers respond with empathy rather than uncertainty.
Participants will learn how early adversity may influence an infant’s behavior, sleep, feeding, sensory processing, and ability to self-regulate, while recognizing that behavior—even in infancy—is communication. Through responsive, nurturing caregiving, adults play a vital role in helping infants build secure attachments, strengthen healthy brain development, and begin to heal from early adversity. Grounded in infant mental health, developmental science, and trauma-informed care, this workshop emphasizes not only the vulnerabilities these children may experience, but also their remarkable capacity for resilience when surrounded by safe, loving, and responsive caregivers.