Feb 19, 2010
Four Overlooked Areas in Preparing for Baby
Having a baby is awesome and overwhelming. 9 months gives you time to ponder and take action on these often overlooked areas in your life as a new parent.
1. Communication. The first 3 months after birth, baby sleeps, poops, pees, and eats. That’s about it until one day baby looks at you as if they were seeing you for the first time (about 2 – 3 months old). Babies do communicate through hand gestures and crying. As the parent your job is to be the “detective” that figures out what baby’s needs are. As toddlers they can’t speak words yet, but they sure make noise, and a lot of it, if their needs aren’t met. Learning how to communicate with your little one may be the arsenal you need to keep the “terrible two’s” away. If you understand your child’s needs you’ll be able to bypass many headaches. Learn and study the cues, the sounds, the gestures before baby is born.
2. Love and sex. If you think your marriage won’t change after having a baby, then you need to be aware of potential upsets. Everything changes. There have been situations where dads get jealous of the baby, where rates of domestic violence rise, where lack of communication begins, sex has a slow death, and possibly feelings about yourself goes down a dark path. It’s important to face the unexpected changes in your relationship with your man, and even your friends. Love changes, once a lover, now you’re a mother. You might get “prudish” about sex and refuse to play around like you once did. Be proactive now. Have these discussions with your partner to have an idea of what may come and how you can keep the romance alive for years to come as parents. Communication is the key to a long lasting, happy marriage.
3. Boundaries. If all goes well, you’ll have in-laws and your own parents knowing when to go home and butt out of your parenting rituals and philosophies. Yet, you may not. Learn how you can gingerly, or demand respect as a new parent. People are amazing. It seems like with any major life event some folks need to fill their own agenda. Like a grandmother who is overbearing and wants to take over being the “mother” – in a way it’s to keep mothering you, her “baby”. Relationships with your parents will change. It is a time “letting go” of what was to what is. It’s bittersweet because as a new parent you will understand so much more what your own parents did when raising you. Boundaries keep situations from getting overwhelming. It may not be easy, but may be necessary depending on your family situation.
4. Greening your home. What better time to learn about this one! It’s obvious there is a major epidemic of products used that are loaded with toxic chemicals. Everything from clothing to the materials the crib is made out of, to the mattress baby sleeps on. As parents we try to keep our kids healthy and safe. This is a safety and health issue. Get educated and take action now before you bring baby home from the hospital. Newborns breathe faster than adults so they’ll inhale more air than adults. Toddlers are closest to the floor where exposure to toxic chemicals can be greatest because toxins in the air fall to the floor. With the rise in autism, the cause may be a combination of genetics and something in the environment that triggers it. Decrease the amount of products you use. Buy concentrated ones that will last a while, plant based, or go back to the basics: olive oil, vinegar, baking soda, and borax.
Lesly 
Welcome 
Recent Comments