Dear Brand New Mom, Did you ever wonder how the “experts” became experts? Whether it’s a parent with more experience, helping you navigate your way through this new baby experience, or a professional who has experience with many different children – they all started out where you are starting. From the beginning. The thing that’s important to remember is to…
Dear Brand New Mom, Sometimes the road to having a newborn is paved and one directional – you begin with intent and arrive at the end with a baby. However, more often than not, the road is gravel, has pot holes, road blocks and U-turns, and multiple routes. I wanted to address this less perfect path today because for many…
Dear Brand New Mom, It may be frustrating to hear experienced moms (or even grandmas) make comments about how things will be in the future – you’re just trying to figure out how to manage your new baby in the present. The comments may be the last thing you want to hear. I realize now that I say things like…
Dear Brand New Mom, Being a mother is the most wonderful, magical, powerful things there is. There’s no doubt about it. People will tell you this, and you may not believe them. You may feel that it is painful, tiring, frustrating, overwhelming, and disappointing. You may feel part of the joy; you may feel all of it. You may feel…
Dear Brand New Mom, You’re starting to get used to the idea of being a mom, maybe you’ve figured a few things out – things that work for your baby, things that don’t. At a certain point, you’re willing to TRY ANYTHING to accomplish some task (get them to sleep, get errands done, get them to eat, get them to…
Dear Brand New Mom, Now that your baby is here, you may be needing to make a decision about returning to work. For some, there is no choice – finances dictate you must find a childcare solution and get back to it. For some, the decision is laden with pros and cons, discussions and anxiety over the choice. For others,…
Dear Brand New Mom, You’ve done it! Your new precious bundle is here! Now it’s time to get to all the newborn photo shoots with baskets or baseball gloves or mini wagons, cute outfits you got before they were born, family portraits, and happy family moments to post on Facebook. But wait….that’s not about to happen, you say? You can…
Dear Brand New Mom, Being that you are brand new to this job, there are bound to be some bumps along the way. Give yourself some grace in learning the ropes. Not knowing something does not make you a “bad mom”. Doing something wrong, ignoring some advice that in hindsight was right, making a decision that’s against the “norm”, or…
The best thing (and also the most challenging thing) about parenting is that there is not just one way to do it. Everyone is figuring it out as we go. What works for one family doesn’t work for another, and that’s ok!