Being a new parent can be challenging. No matter how much research you do before your little one joins your family, it’s still common to feel isolated, ill-equipped, or unsupported once they arrive. The Program for Early Parent Support (fondly known as PEPS) and Valley Medical Center’s Children’s Therapy team have partnered to ease some of the worry for new…
5 Basics This Pediatrician Wants Every New Parent to Know Vanessa Raymond, a writer for Right as Rain, a digital publication which provides health and wellness news, tips and information brought to you by the experts at UW Medicine. Pregnancy and Birth in Puerto Rico as an Expat Anjelica Malone, author of Milk Boss 101: The Modern Breastfeeding Journal and Guide shares what it’s like to…
It’s that time of year again! During this cold, rainy season that Seattle is best known for, what can mean for our kids, their allergies, and their overall health? This season, children will likely have a sniffly nose, and the question is: is it a cold or is it allergies? That’s right! Sniffles might not be a cold or a…
We’ve heard from PEPS parents who head to their group meetings without a car. Some families are using transit all the time, some of the time, or want to give it a try and aren’t sure how to get started. “Our ability to use the bus has allowed us to be a one-car household. Not owning a second car saves…
Last month, we gathered to hear an engaging and relevant topic from Shanna Donhauser, a clinically trained social worker and psychotherapist and infant mental health expert. PEPS Grandparents learned how best to support their adult children when they become parents. Parenting changes all the time, and today’s parents experience different demands and expectations. Today there are high expectations for parenting…
by Jessica Towns I was five months pregnant when I waddled into my first poetry class on the heels of a gifted poet friend. There, with the help of a dedicated teacher, I saw another side of the thing I’d hated most in high school English. I found an outlet for my feelings as I transitioned into parenthood, and then…
Recently we reached out to families with young children in our area who are primarily using bikes for transportation. Families are using bikes for a variety of reasons, including cost, traffic, active lifestyles, environmental reasons and a passion for biking. Amanda Wanner is birth and postpartum doula at Cygnet Doula Services. Amanda uses her bike as a parent, and also…
by Kimberly Chan This post was originally published at https://www.oktobeimperfect.com/preparing-baby-emotional-changes-challenges/. Emotional changes and challenges should be expected with the arrival of a new baby. As I prepare to lead a PEPS Newborn group discussion on Emotional Changes and Challenges and prepare for the arrival of our second child, I want to share my approach with other new and expecting parents…
by Cassie McKeown, Bright Horizons Early Education and Preschool Cleo, a 4-year-old preschooler, excitedly told her Mom, “…and then we drank purple milk that came from a purple cow.” Webster defines imagination as “the ability to form a picture in your mind of something that you have not seen or experienced; the ability to think of new things.” Every child is…
by Laurie Ganberg, LICSW “I love my baby but I feel trapped.” “Maybe having a baby was a mistake.” “Every part of my life has changed. I miss my old life.” I often hear these statements hesitantly shared by women experiencing ambivalence and regret after a new baby—along with, “I can’t talk about this in the new moms group.” But it is…
