Real Talk About the Transition into Motherhood
5 Ways to Fit Self-Care into Your Postpartum Days
What comes to mind when you think of self-care? The term is a trendy one these days, especially in the world of motherhood. When I used to hear “self-care”, I would think of hour-long massages, relaxing on a pristine beach, and candlelit baths. While these things are nice, and certainly nothing to scoff it, this image of self-care is often overwhelming to the postpartum mom because it feels unattainable.
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Who is New Mama Project For?
At it’s core this project is about helping mom’s feel normal. Many new moms are so unprepared for motherhood that they are blindsided by their experience. Caring for newborns is deeply demanding. Becoming a mother also means a significant identity shift that can be accompanied by some emotional ups and downs.
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On Postpartum Isolation
It was mid-afternoon and, as I stood in front of my television bouncing my very fussy 4-week-old baby, I wished that I could escape. He had been crying on and off (mostly on) since early that morning, and it seemed that I couldn’t figure out any way to soothe him or help him get some good sleep.
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How to Enjoy Winter With a New Baby Part 2
My last NMP post was all about how to cozy up your life a bit to combat the winter blues. I also promised a follow-up post focused on staying active and getting outside during the winter with a new baby. I generally appreciate winter because I am an avid skier, but... read more
Tips for Getting the Postpartum Support You Need from Your Partner
HINT: Your partner isn’t a mind reader. It would be just perfect if our partners and top support people could read our minds and know exactly what we need during each moment of these early days of mothering. Unfortunately, they can’t.
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How to Enjoy Winter With a New Baby
For those of you with a new baby in arms you may be wondering how things will go this winter. If you are in the Northeast, like we are, you are probably crossing your fingers that this mild weather will continue and that you will not be shut in your house for the next four months.
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I Wish I Had Told my Birth Story Sooner
My first child was born via cesarean. I had a bit of time to prepare for this, as he was breech and I knew that if he didn’t turn head down, I’d be having a cesarean. (I couldn’t find a provider who would attend a breech birth). However, this was not what I wanted. And I was still relatively unprepared for what the experience would be like during and immediately after the birth.
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Tina Fey’s Rules of Improv are Awesome Postpartum Advice
I had a long drive by myself last week and I took advantage of the opportunity to listen to a book on tape, uninterrupted by a baby demanding my attention. Isn’t it amazing how 7 hours in the car suddenly sounds luxurious when you get to do it alone? It was actually a pretty enjoyable trip, due in large part to the entertainment. I’ve been wanting to read Bossy Pants by Tina Fey for a while, and finally got a copy of the audio book for my drive. If you haven’t read or listened to this book I highly recommend it. It’s hilarious, witty, and sometimes even illuminating. What made me think about my work with NMP was Tina’s discussion of the rules of improv.
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Surviving the Holidays with a New Baby
The holiday season is upon us. What has been a joyful, festive time in the past can suddenly feel overwhelming and exhausting for many parents with a new baby. When my first son was 5 months old, I made a big mistake. I decided to host Thanksgiving, for both my... read more
Accepting the Mother You Are
Raise your hand if you had some ideas about the type of parent you were going to be before you had a baby. My hand is way up high in the sky. I had a lot of ideas about the kind of mother I was going to be. I also had a lot of ideas about what I would think about being a mom. Namely, I thought I would really like it and feel like a rock star. No one had really described to me, in a way I could hear, how humbling and challenging being a parent can be.
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