Ildi Sebestyen
Breastfeeding
Newborn Care
Background:
Following the experience of my own pregnancy and birth of my daughter in 2012, I have been inspired to pursue a career in supporting families during one of the most unique and important moments of their lives. The motivation to educate and serve people within the area of childbirth, so that each individual has the best possible birthing experience, led to my work as a certified birth doula and childbirth educator.
Following a Masters in Biology from the University of Szeged, Hungary, I have taken a journey living and working in Turkey, Spain, and Denmark before arriving to the US in 2009. Initially living in New York for almost 5 years, my family and I relocated to the greater Seattle region where I started working for Great Starts in 2015. In 2018 my family and I moved back to Brooklyn and in 2020 I rejoined Great Starts.
Philosophy:
I believe that knowledge is power. I thrive to provide evidence-based information to families so that they can make informed decisions throughout their birth journey. Besides learning about coping skills, new information about pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and newborn care, families have a chance to build community with other expecting parents to support one another through the first months of their postpartum period.
Family/Hobbies:
My husband and I met in Barcelona, Spain. Travel has been an important part of our lives, as we have lived and worked in multiple countries on different continents. We love spending time with our daughters and enjoy skiing, skating, and hiking. We are a multilingual family with a mixture of Hungarian, French, English and Spanish being spoken. Diversity is important for us; we believe that differences in backgrounds and culture enables innovative thinking distinct from the norm.
Most important thing for families to take away from class:
Childbirth does not have to be scary. I believe in education as a means to increase skills and confidence, with the feeling of being empowered to make informed decisions about your pregnancy and birth. Childbirth is something you will remember forever and should be a positive experience. I want you to start your parenthood with self-assurance, putting you in the best possible position for long-term parental success.