Real Talk About the Transition into Motherhood
10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Having My First Baby
I can’t go back in time, so I’ll never know if things would have been better if I knew then what I know now. I am hopeful that my awareness going into my second postpartum period will help ease that transition just a bit. It’s like the difference between starting my very first job and my tenth job. I know it will still be challenging, but I also know that it will get easier. I’ve also learned a few more strategies to cope with the ups and downs of the postpartum period.
Here are10 things I wish I knew before having my first baby.
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Thoughts On Preparing to Welcome Our Third Child
Each time I prepare to welcome a new child into my life has felt different. When I was expecting my first child 6 years ago, I was overwhelmingly excited and I went full steam ahead planning for what I’d need for baby – furniture, diapers, clothing, etc.
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Newborn Sleep And Why I’m Still Insecure About It
A couple weeks ago I read a blog post titled something like “What Science Tells us About Newborn Sleep,” and it made me totally question my decisions to co-sleep with my first and soon to be second baby. And not in a good way. I’m not linking to the article because a) I tried to erase it from my memory, and b) it ended up being yet another source telling me I should have pushed my baby to sleep on her own.
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Postpartum Preparation: 5 Must-Haves for Mom
When you think about what’s needed when baby arrives, do you think of your own needs? Or do you find yourself mostly planning for the essential baby items? When I was pregnant with my first, I barely thought about what I would need in those days after he was born.
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Get Postpartum Help Without Leaving the House
Today I want to talk about why it’s so challenging to leave the house, why it’s still important to get help now, and how you can get postpartum help, even without leaving the house. I know that you will leave the house again, and that things may be hard right now.
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More on Postpartum Anxiety
Last week we shared Christina’s story about her unexpected struggle with postpartum anxiety. I had the opportunity to meet her at a local group for expecting moms and, as I spoke with her, I was struck by how blindsided she was by her symptoms. She knew nothing about the possibility of developing anxiety during the postpartum period.
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Christina’s Postpartum Story: An Unexpected Challenge
Christina is the mama to a 7-year-old, 4-year-old, 19-month-old, and expecting her fourth child. After 56 hours and 12 minutes of pushing it was over. In my arms I held a 6 pound 7 ounce beautiful, bright eyed baby girl. She was perfect and the love that hit me was so... read more
Accepting Baby’s Need for Attachment in an Independent Culture
When I was parenting a newborn baby I really struggled to accept her dependence on me. I entered parenthood with the idea that I would be loving and nurturing, but I would also encourage independence. When it came to newborn care, this meant I wouldn’t hold my baby 24-7, I wouldn’t be overly responsive to her grunts and squeaks in the middle of the night, and I would let her know that it was ok to be in this world on her own. Two years later, it now sounds so unrealistic and harsh to have approached parenting this way, but I think this parenting approach is more common than it’s counterpart – attachment parenting.
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Helping Children Adjust to a New Baby Sibling: My Story
One of the greatest challenges I support families with is integrating a baby into a family that already has at least one child. The experience for that child or children is one that often rocks their world and so many parents are left wondering how to help support their child through the transition. While my experience won’t be exactly like yours, I want to share it here to remind you that you’re not alone if your child is struggling with the adjustment to a new sibling.
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Accepting Postpartum Help from Your Parents
A theme that is central to becoming a parent is how to negotiate your relationship with your own parents. Especially in the early weeks after a baby is born it is often the grandparents who are providing the most support to the new parents. New parents need this support. It is so challenging to care for a newborn, recover from birth, and adjust to life as a parent. Grandparents can ease the transition immensely.
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