The Tiny Human Tamer

,Hi! I am Jessica, and I am a Maternal and Infant Care Consultant. I have both my Master of Science degree and Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development and Family Science/Studies (HDFS). I am credentialed as a Certified Family Life Educator through the National Council on Family Relations and I am an Elite®️ Newborn Care Specialist and Postpartum Doula. I also teach Introduction to Families at the University of Nevada, Reno.

I am passionate about the work I do and have over fifteen years of professional experience in perinatal support working with children and families. I specialize in non-biased, evidence-informed perinatal and infant mental health and how to best facilitate both. I create custom support for each family utilizing a strengths-based approach. My ultimate goal is to create happy, healthy, and empowered families through resource management, parent education, and program implementation.

I started my career when I was still a child myself, working as the town babysitter in my small hometown. After high school, I joined the Navy to put myself through college. While serving, I kept pursuing options to work with children, often providing childcare overnight to birth doulas in addition to volunteering my time at the local child development center in the infant room.

Once my time in the Navy was complete, I became a professional nanny and Newborn Care Specialist to continue working with families. I pursued my undergraduate degree in Human Development and Family Studies at both University of Nevada, Reno and Colorado State University, Fort Collins, graduating with my Bachelor of Science in 2016. My undergraduate research centered around infant development, specifically brain development and sleep.

After taking extensive trainings focused on newborn care and the postpartum period, I decided to go back to school for my graduate degree researching the postpartum family and Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders in 2020. During this time, I became a parent myself and gained a new perspective on the postpartum period and parenting in general. I graduated in May, 2022 with my MS in HDFS,

I love giving back to my communities and have served on the board of the Northern Nevada Breastfeeding Coalition and am currently co-chairing the Continuing Education Committee of the Newborn Care Specialist Association.