By Barrie Rein Thunemann MA, ICCE, CD, Certified Birthing From Within Mentor, www.fullmoonbirthseattle.com Our culture tells us that giving birth is supposed to be one of the best days of our lives, however, many mothers and parents can feel disappointed or let down after their birth experience. In fact it’s actually not all that unusual to feel that something just doesn’t…
Category: Newborns & Babies
Comparing Our Babies
You can say that in any groups of parents that you are comparing your kids to one another. That kind of has a negative feeling, right? Well sure, it could have that feeling, but it doesn’t have to. I read a lot of the feedback from parents in PEPS Groups and I’ve led a few of my own and participated…
What You Need To Know About Early Discipline
by Sarina Behar Natkin, LICSW You survived the newborn days, and life with baby is rolling along smoothly. They are full of belly laughs, find delight in just about everything, and their biggest complaints are easily whisked away with a clean diaper, a snuggle, and some milk. As you push your easy-going babe in the swing at the park, you…
Getting your family ready for one more
By Shawna Gamache Don’t worry too much! Getting a sibling really is the best thing to happen to most kids – and as this essay is from my own experience, the suggestions here are mostly directed at families with a toddler when their second child is born. Involve your older child in planning, pregnancy and birth Maybe he can help…
The Confident, Perfect Mother
By the time my daughter Ravenna was seven weeks old, I had mastered parenting. Confident in my ability to meet her needs, I decided it was time for our first mother-daughter day out. A local outdoor mall boasted a beautiful new women’s lounge with ample space to nurse and change diapers. Perfect. I packed the kitchen sink into the diaper…
Happy Accidents of Parenting
Have you ever done something accidentally? Like maybe you accidentally signed up for 2 year magazine subscription to Women’s Health even though you know you’re never going to look like the woman on the cover, or maybe you accidentally befriended someone who is super annoying and now they will never leave you alone, or maybe you simply, accidentally, spilled your…
Who is my child, really?
Probably the most important thing I’ve learned so far as a parent is to not worry so much about what my kids are doing. To realize that what I’m mostly doing here is giving them a safe place to unfold— not molding them.
10 activities you can do with an infant
“Umm … now what do we do?” I distinctly remember having this thought a couple weeks after my baby was born. Her first days home were a flurry of us trying to figure out how, basically, to keep her alive. How to sleep. Where to sleep. How the heck to feed her. Trips to the doctor to check her low weight. Getting the diaper…
Can I nurse here?
Yes, I know that Washington state law allows a woman to nurse anywhere. And that is wonderful! But it doesn’t mean you’re comfortable whipping out your boob while sitting in a 10-top at Canlis, or behind home base at SafecoField (though more power to you if you do!), especially during the first few months. Now that I’m six years into…
What’s in your diaper bag?
I was only a few months along with baby #2 when I started looking for a bigger diaper bag. I ended up getting an “overnight” travel bag, and it was so massive that I kept it hooked to my double stroller at all times. That bag was epic – always full of snacks, diapers, water bottles, toys, changes of clothes and…
