We hope to see you at 2:00pm EST on Sunday, December 4th for our monthly support group! We are very excited to announce that our special guest this month, Elisabeth Kraus, joins us from Growing Independent Eaters! Growing Independent Eaters (GIE) helps wean children from feeding tubes safely and successfully in their own homes, teaching parents the skills they need to be their child's own feeding therapist. Their clinical team offers support to families across the world. As always, everyone from the omphalocele community is welcome (parents of new O babies, experienced parents with older O children, pregnant mothers or expectant family members, grandparents, friends, adult omphalocele survivors) and you are all an important part of our group!

Elisabeth earned both her graduate and undergraduate degrees from Northwest University in Washington and has spent the last 14 years as a College Professor and professional writer. But as it does for all of us, motherhood steered her life in an unexpectedly glorious direction, and she entered the world of pediatric feeding as just that: a mom. Working with her youngest daughter to overcome the challenges that dysphagia brings, Elisabeth fell in love with so many families who fearlessly navigate a wide array of complex feeding dynamics. She loves talking “mom” with anyone who will listen, and she is continuing her teaching career as a Lecturer at Whitworth University. In her (albeit limited) spare time, you’ll find her at the park with her kiddos, settled down with a good book, or continuing her adventure as a writer who explores women’s issues as they pertain to motherhood and academia.