hi! I’m Christine Bliven.
I was born in Zürich and lived here nine years before moving to the US (Seattle area) with my family. My father is American and my mother is Swiss. I studied Psychology and received a Master’s degree before following my heart (now husband) to San Diego, California. There I continued my studies and completed a Certificate in Infant Preschool Mental Health. After several years in sunny California my husband and I decided to move to Zürich in 2014 for a year or two as he finished up his Phd. Since then we’ve had three kids and are thoroughly enjoying life in Switzerland.
Education
MA in Clinical Psychology
(Seattle, USA)
Certificate in Infant Preschool Mental Health
(San Diego, USA)
Trained “Bringing Baby Home” Educator
(Seattle, USA)
Stillbirthday Certified Birth and Bereavement Doula
Babywearing Consultant
(Switzerland)
Stillbirthday Certified Birth and Bereavement Doula
How I became a babywearing consultant
We were given a wrap before my son was born and my husband wore him home from the birth house. We continued to babywear and found that my son loved it and it was really convenient for us.
As I got more involved with the babywearing community, I realized that there weren’t any consultants who provided consultations mainly in English. Many can speak English and do a fantastic job consulting in English, but their websites are in German and so it’s difficult for expats to find them.
So with some encouragement from a good friend who is also a consultant, I took the training at the ClauWi school and became a babywearing consultant myself. Now I consult both in German and in English and I love helping new moms find ways to be closer to their babies and simultaneously find time for themselves.
How I started signing
I’ve loved American Sign Language (ASL) for as long as I can remember.
I watched in awe as the interpreter at our church interpreted the songs with beautiful motions. I took a class at a community college in San Diego and then when my work schedule wouldn’t allow me to continue I found a one-on-one Deaf tutor who continued to teach me the language. We found an amazing Deaf community and were able to learn not only about the language but about the culture.
Once we moved to Switzerland, I took a beginners sign language class in German sign language. It was interesting to see the similarities and differences between that and ASL. I’ve had experience using sign language with my own kids and noticed not only that they can use it to communicate before they speak, but also that they enjoy it. By teaching baby signing classes, I am hoping to pass this joy on to other families with young children.
How I became a doula
I have thought about becoming a doula for a while, but figured it was not a good time since I had young children myself. During Corona a lot of things were offered online, so I was able to take some trainings I was interested in that were based in the States. From there, word got out in my circles and I got a request to support my first birth. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend it because of Covid regulations in that hospital, but it inspired me to really get started. My husband was working from home and my mother lives in the apartment below us, so I actually had a great support network to make doula work possible with three kids. I attended my first birth in October of 2021 and I have really enjoyed being a part of such a monumental moment in people’s lives.
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