Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Line.
Hi Melissa, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have been an RN since 2018 and worked in Adult ICU and Pediatric ICU before finding and falling in love with the NICU over five years ago. Being a NICU RN quickly became my passion. I love working with the most fragile babies, and truly feel honored to be trusted in this role. Over time, I quickly found that my favorite parts of the job center around parent education, family support and just caring for families as a whole during what is surely one of the most scary, overwhelming, and traumatic times of their lives. I wanted a way to take make the family support my own and bridge the gap from hospital to home. I remember hearing stories of families feeling somewhat relieved by a short NICU stay because it took some of the guesswork out of parenting a newborn. I always thought that was a sad sentiment. The fact that families feel overwhelmed and underprepared for newborn life is unacceptable, and I knew I had the skills and knowledge to help these families too.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There are parts of this journey that have gone surprisingly well so far. I have a great support system and group of coworkers and friends that have helped me with word-of-mouth advertising that has led to some really great clients early-on. I would say the main struggles come from content creation. It is a digital world and I know social media is great way for me to gain visibility, but it is not easy! I work hard at creating good education pieces for people so they have tidbits of advice and knowledge in case hiring support is not attainable for them. I have tried hard to get myself in front of the camera, but it just does not come naturally to me. I will keep working at it!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Beyond Birth Newborn Support was created to help families thrive, not just survive, in the newborn stage. Bringing home a newborn baby is unlike anything we experience as humans. It is a beautiful, incredible, magical time, but it is often also challenging, trying, and exhausting. I offer in-home overnight newborn care to help families get the rest they need to truly show up as their best selves for their little one. Too often we hear “it takes a village,” but in today’s digital world, the village seems to be dwindling. Support is showing up as a DM or text instead of home cooked meal and conversation. Some people are simply not close to their support system and so there is nobody that can give them the break every new parent needs at some point with a newborn. I want to be the support families need. I also offer some daytime hours (I have my own young sons at home so daytime hours are more limited). This allows families to get hands-on support with concerns like feeding issues and sleeping difficulties or simply do projects around the house while trusting their little one is being cared for by a highly trained NICU RN. I also offer virtual consultations for the families that could use support and have questions, but who do not prefer to bring someone into their home. The consultation is 90-minutes, and after their questions are answered, we talk through my comprehensive review of all things newborn care to make sure they are fully confident and informed. Finally, I offer “NICU Transitions-to-Home” which is a unique program I’ve created to help families being discharged from the NICU. It can be jarring to go from full support, monitor, and professionals, to suddenly being alone with your baby. Although exciting and joyful, this time can also cause anxiety. I offer three tiers of varying levels of support that includes in-person, virtual, and text/email contact for these families to feel less alone or anxious.
As a NICU RN in this role, I am able to bring a specialized and highly trained set of skills and knowledge to my clients. When I am in their home I am never just snuggling their baby as they sleep or step away. I am constantly assessing, observing, and using my knowledge to make suggestions that might make their lives a little easier or their little one more comfortable. I always make sure I present information in a sensitive way, only make recommendations if they are seeking that kind of support, and ultimately follow their preferences as long as it is safe to do so.
Additional note I would love to include: I facilitate a NICU Families Support Group through The Nest of Pennsylvania which is a great central Pennsylvania nonprofit organization. It is the third Thursday of every month and is donation based. Parents can visit www.nestofpa.org to learn more and register.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
The podcast “The Diary of A CEO with Steven Bartlett” is one that I listened to religiously when I was starting out. It really gave me the confidence to keep going in pursuit of this business, even when it felt overwhelming or scary to do so.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.beyondbirthnewbornsupport.co
- Instagram: @beyondbirthnewbornsupport
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586136874438
