Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeri Ford.
Hi Jeri, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana. I went to the University of Indianapolis originally opting for the Pre-Med course but ultimately choosing to pursue a Nursing degree after my grandma passed away (she was a nurse). I graduated in 2012 from nursing school and landed my dream job at the children’s hospital in Indianapolis. Believe it or not, I was a homebody! I love being with family and friends and couldn’t imagine leaving. After about a year and a half as a new nurse, my hospital system had major layoffs. Over 200 nurses were let go… a concept hard to imagine now with such a severe nursing shortage. Within a six-month period, I was laid off from my first job and experienced a big breakup. I couldn’t help but feel this was a hard “push” for me to start looking in another direction. This is when I found travel nursing. Shortly after, I was headed to Dallas for my first travel nursing job at their children’s hospital. This was in 2014. Almost ten years later, I am still travel nursing, and it is the best decision I have ever made. I have worked at ten children’s hospitals across the country, met hundreds of beautiful new souls and friends, helped hundreds of sick children, and traveled to over 15 countries with my newfound freedom and money. This change in lifestyle also encouraged me to start my own business with my co-founder. It is a private baby nursing company called “Baby Whisperers” where we help care for newborns in the home after birth and empower new parents to become the best they can be. Travel nursing has provided so many wonderful skills and opportunities; I can’t imagine my life any other way.
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?
Travel nursing is amazing but definitely has its struggles. Being away from home, missing major events in family and friends’ lives, sometimes doing fun things alone until you meet friends, moving constantly, etc. Yet still – the good far outweighs the bad. Business-wise – Covid was hard, as it was on everyone. We had just launched shortly before Covid and the shutdown hit.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Baby Whisperers?
Baby Whisperers ease the process of matching experienced baby nurses to newborns and their families. Finding a baby nurse can be a tedious, sometimes frustrating process that is typically only done through “word of mouth”. With over 20 years of combined pediatric experience, co-founders Kayla Loschky RN, BSN, and Jeri Ford RN, BSN, CPN, decided to implement a service to better facilitate this experience.
Having a newborn is stressful! At Baby Whisperers, we understand the need for a baby nurse to fit in well with the family dynamics, as well as making sure the nurse is up-to-date with current evidence-based practices for newborns. Our goal is to pair experienced and educated baby nurses with families in order to empower the family to provide safe care for the rest of their lives.
We believe the best care can be given by Registered Nurses who specialize in pediatric care. We are not a nanny service, a babysitting service, or a home health agency. Rather, we are pediatric nurses who serve as a combination of those wonderful professions. Nurses can be anywhere from part-time help, to full-time live-in nurses. Some like to travel; others like to stay local. We will help you sort through those details to find the best match while providing complete anonymity.
Contact Info:
- Website: WWW.YOURBABYWHISPERERS.COM
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jerilynn_89/
