Episode 187 | Kayleigh's Story-A Child Life Specialist's son with Tetralogy of Fallot [part 2] - a podcast by Katie Taylor, Certified Child Life Specialist
from 2023-09-13T06:00
Do you want to become a confident advocate for your child's medical needs? Are you searching for a solution to navigate the complex world of medical care for children with conditions? Join us as we welcome Kayleigh Koehler, a Child Life Specialist who has transformed into a medical parent. She will be sharing valuable insights and strategies on how you can achieve the ultimate goal of becoming a knowledgeable and effective advocate for your child's medical journey. Get ready to embark on a transformative journey towards becoming the empowered advocate your child needs.
Kayleigh Koehler is a remarkable and multifaceted individual who navigates through life wearing various hats. As a wife to her high school sweetheart Mitch and a mother to their charming four-year-old son, Hudson, Kayleigh's world is filled with love and profound resilience. Professionally, she is a dedicated child life specialist working tirelessly in a cardiac ICU. Her firsthand expertise and personal connection to her job started to take a unique and powerful perspective when her unborn son was diagnosed with a heart condition. Kayleigh's courage, wisdom, and gutsy perseverance inscribed an unforgettable chapter in her life story where her professional and personal world astoundingly intertwined.
Because of this experience, I am a better child life specialist. Because I understand the world in a different way that I simply could not understand when I wasn't a mom. - Kayleigh Koehler
The key moments in this episode are:
00:00:00 - Introduction,
00:01:42 - Reflections on Trauma and Mental Health,
00:09:47 - Advocacy and Empathy in Child Life,
00:13:21 - Permission to Coexist with Messiness,
00:13:56 - Conclusion,
00:16:17 - Introducing a New Course for Parents,
00:17:25 - The Importance of Advocacy,
00:21:05 - Speaking Up for Change,
00:24:35 - The Pressure of Being a Parent Advocate,
00:27:08 - Differentiating Between Healthy and Unhealthy Advocacy,
00:30:45 - The Importance of Support and Self-Care,
00:31:38 - Utilizing Social Media for Connection,
00:32:03 - Prioritizing Mental Health,
00:33:08 - Dreams and Future Aspirations,
00:33:28 - Resources and Support
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When you download our starter kit, you’ll learn how to:
- Give medicine to your child without it becoming a wrestling match
- Prepare your child (and yourself) for a shot so they can feel less anxious
- Create and use a coping plan for any medical appointment or procedure
The first sign of sniffles, or worse, shouldn’t send you into a tailspin. Feel confident in your role as a parent and advocate, no matter what medical situation you’re facing.
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Further episodes of Child Life On Call: Parents of children with an illness or medical condition share their stories with a child life specialist
Further podcasts by Katie Taylor, Certified Child Life Specialist