Ahhh….The Fresh Air
It is officially Spring! However, there are some years when it takes a couple of weeks after the official start of the season to actually feel like Spring. But around here, when the weather rises above 50 degrees, it doesn’t take long for the neighbors to come out of hibernation after a long winter. The adults are finding everything to do outside, even if the work on the inside of the house is piled up. The children are also eager to spend the longer days outside running and playing nonstop.
The excitement permeates throughout the air. “Ahh…the fresh air. We are free from the indoors!” Along with these feelings comes the rediscovery of play and activities for our children. If you have already spent your first long day outdoors, you may have noticed that you felt as though you were busy redirecting your children to the rules and expectations of outdoor play. All of these redirections, most likely take the adults away from the tasks and activities in which they are involved.
In order to practice positive parenting in regards to re-entrance into the outdoors, we are more successful when we are proactive. Prior to the long summer days, is a perfect time to define your expectations as a family for outdoor play. Great territory to define would be physical boundaries, requesting permission for activities and friends, reporting dangerous activity/behavior in the neighborhood, time allotted outdoors, etc.
To teach these expectations ahead of time, is a preventative measure to set up outdoor play for success. Otherwise, we can spend much of our time as parents, redirecting our children, and not being able to enjoy the outdoors ourselves. Adults, too, deserve to make the most of this time outdoors enjoying the fresh air after a very long winter!
Daytime Activities for Baby
The first few weeks of a newborn’s life entails consistent feedings, naps, changing diapers, and occasional baths. To most new parents, aside from the emotions that are charging through their bodies, the activities of a newborn are pretty uneventful. However, the events of the daytime should be picking up for these little ones.
Our job as new parents is to teach the difference between daytime and nighttime. New babies, often times, get themselves mixed up in knowing when it is day and when it is night. This happens in the first few weeks/months of life because they sleep so frequently. Therefore, in the way we schedule activities and respond to their cries, we teach appropriate expectataions for the time of day. Otherwise, how do babies learn they should be awake and alert in the daytime and asleep in the nighttime?
To begin teaching your newborns your clear expectations for nighttime your environment should facilitate sleeping. For example, lights should remain off or very dim so that babies see that the environment is dark, still, and quiet. Any verbal language used with baby should be whispered and calm. After feedings occur in the nighttime, the baby should be returned immediately back to bed following a feeding and diaper change. This seems to be pretty straightforward information for parents and easy to implement, as most parents of newborns want to return to bed themselves after waking during the night.
So how do we teach that the day time is when it is okay to be awake for periods of time? The answer is simple…..schedule interactive activities (e.g., newborn play) throughout the day for babies in locations away from their cribs. These activities look very different for a newborn than they would look for an older child of six or even eight months. Obviously, the activities are adult focused and directed. But, whatever the activity, parents make it interactive with their new baby.
Everyday activities like scheduled chores around the home can be activities for newborns. The difference being is that when Mom and Dad engage in the activity, they are also singing songs, making rhymes, and giving commentary about what they are doing during the activity. All of this language, music, and rhythm, along with eye contact are engaging your baby and teaching them that the daytime hours are for being awake and social interaction.
Many parents have been super creative with their daytime activities with baby. From vacuuming and laundry, to stories, tummy time, and slow dancing…with utilizing a lot of language and eye contact, babies learn to stay awake and play. In addition, these times of personal interaction are also creating many brain connections within the newborn. From these experiences, they learn about the important people that surround them, their environment, and about communication. Furthermore, these “play” activities provide the child with multi-sensory experiences that are essential to their development.
Have fun with your new baby! It is never to early to begin “play.” Although play will look very different and be adult focused, it is an important component that needs to be implemented into the baby’s schedule as early as possible!
Peaceful Night with New Baby
The front door is openly awaiting at night for her to walk in. She comfortably enters the home, takes her shoes off, and hangs up her coat. She listens to the precious sounds of new babies. Sounds of either the new babies themselves making sense of their new world or the loving sounds from the new parents. After identifying where the sounds are coming from, she makes her way to see the family for the first time tonight and is greeted with smiles from the grateful parents.
“She” is a New Baby Nurse. She has been with these babies since they came home from the hospital, or, in some cases, after the babies have been home for a couple of months. However long, the New Baby Nurse takes extreme care and pride in providing nightly care for these newborns.
Upon arrival, the New Baby Nurse is met with many intelligent questions and some basic questions from curious parents who are learning all about how to best care for their baby. They discuss daily feedings and set goals for amount of ounces taken for the days ahead in order to best promote growth, as well as sleep training.
After all questions are answered, the parents retreat to their bedrooms for a good night’s sleep, while the New Baby Nurse cares for the infant(s). The room is dark with only sounds of baby. All feedings are tracked, and when it is time for baby to eat, the New Baby Nurse will either prepare the bottle and feed the baby, or take the baby to Mom for nursing. The New Baby Nurse, then, makes sure the baby is dry, soothed and is back to bed.
At the end of the eight hour shift, the New Baby Nurse makes sure all the bottles are prepared for the parents for the next morning. The parents meet with the New Baby Nurse before she leaves to see the schedule through the night and hear any updates. New Baby Nurse leaves the home of the rested parents and satisfied babies until the next scheduled night. Until then, the parents are encouraged to continue tracking feeding and diapers and to write down any questions for the Nurse that can be adressed on the next visit. The new parents begin the next day feeling refreshed after a peaceful night with new baby.
“Desperate” Art Immitating Life
Isn’t a television show that you can truly relate to the best? A pleasure of many women out there, whether they are housewives or not, is the hit T.V. show, Desperate Housewives. Although the story lines can sometimes be outrageously abnormal in terms of what a typical day is for a woman in suburbia, the episodes are a great escape from reality.
Last night, Desperate Housewives was more like reality T.V., in that it hit on a hot topic for many mothers out there. The latest episode had a story line on sleep training your infant. Whether or not you saw the most recent show, the story line was classic, and one that may hit very close to home. To catch you up real quick without giving away any secrets, one mother was ready to proceed with sleep training of her own infant with the the cry it out method. The baby’s caregiver (the mother’s best friend, as well as a mother herself), could not bare to allow the baby to cry for long periods of time.
For the mother of the infant, it was all about teaching the baby a life long skill….how to self-soothe in order to fall asleep indepedently. For the caregiver, picking up the baby as soon as the baby cried was all about safety and making sure the baby felt taken care of. You could see the perspective of both women as they debated their very valid points.
Around the country, mothers could probably identify themselves with one of the characters in this story line.
Sleep training is one of the biggest calls that ABC Moms receives. Parents want to be able to teach their baby how to sleep. And, YES, it is truly a lifelong skills that needs and can be taught! How you teach and reinforce those crutial skills, is essentially up to parents’ lessons.
If you are interested in more education and technique to implement sleep training with your infant, give ABC Moms a call. Our New Baby Nurses have a philosophy that can blend with your individual parenting style in order to receive positive sleep results. A great night’s sleep for yourself and your infant is a blessed gift. A gift that will leave you feeling hopeful and calm rather than feeling “desperate.”
Invaluable Information for New Baby
Have you ever been to a gathering that included new mothers? Did you ever have the opportunity to overhear new mothers talking with one another? Many communication exchanges between new moms involve trading tips to ease the transition into motherhood. Sharing secrets passed down from family and friends, or newly discovered techniques that create positive responses from babies, moms love the chance to interact with other parents to gain fresh ideas and perspective.
There are numerous resources, such as books, classes, and websites that can provide new parents with strategies and tips to help prepare for most situations that arise as a new mother. Terrific tips such as packing dryer sheets and Ziploc bags in your diaper bag to assist with the surprise potty accidents are treasures of knowledge to new mommies. Listening to soothing music or reading aloud while pregnant may trigger a calming response to your newborn upon arrival into the world is another interesting idea to take into consideration. Even lining up a day’s worth of formula bottles and prepping them the night before is a useful tip to many moms.
There are always more pieces of invaluable information regarding your new baby that are available. Continue talking to your new mommy friends, your experienced mothers, and your families. Continue reading relevant information regarding newborns in all the printed and electronic text that is accessible. Continue seeking your own successful tips through ongoing interactions with your newborn. Each day you grow with your baby, you will discover more and more valubable information.
New Baby Nurses also have a wealth of information to share with new mothers. Each New Baby Nurse has over 30 years experience working on Mother/Baby floors. Through their experience as professionals, and as mothers of grown children themselves, ABC Moms is thrilled to offer their services to the community. Providing in-home parent education, support, and counseling to new parents, New Baby Nurses will help prepare you for motherhood through sharing all of their invaluable information, as well.
Sleepless Parents
Expectant parents are often advised to prepare for sleepless nights upon the arrival of their newborn. Those statements are often humorous. How should expectant parents prepare for that unique situation? One month prior to delivery, should they set their alarm clocks for every 2 hours within the nighttime hours between 10pm and 6am? After awaking every 2 hours, should the couple stay up for at least 30 minutes, just to go back to another interrupted 2 hour sleep segment? Unlike exams, marathons, and/or public speaking, there is no way to prepare yourself for the reality of the new baby’s arrival and the sleepless nights that are around the corner.
This is not to discourage or frighten any expectant parent. But in all honesty, the first 4-6 weeks of having a newborn throughout the nighttime hours is a real “awakening.” An awakening to the resposibilities we have to this gift that was just delievered. New parents are responsible for providing nurishment to their newborn. In addition, new parents are responsible for teaching new babies day from night.
There is no training program to provide expectant parents on how to be able to handle the sleepless nights. And, coincidentally, a lack of sleep is reported as the most challenging transition into parenthood. There are new parents who choose to have New Baby Nurses or Night Nannies to come into the home to offer a night’s respite. These new parents find comfort…and sleep in knowing their precious newborn is provided with tender loving care while they get their much needed rest throughout the nights. Parents who take advantage of this unique service state that this New Baby Nurse/Night Nanny support helps them be the parents they want to be during the daytime hours!
The sleepless nights will not go on forever. But, while the sleepless nights are here, why not reach out for support?
Your Special Baby
After all the preparations, parents eagerly await the day of arrival of their new born baby. The nursery is decked out with all the elements to make the nursery just perfect. The hospital bag is all packed with most everything you can imagine to bring comfort to the new parents and the new born baby. Even a designated outfit is a high priority to be included in the hospital bag as a way to celebrate the homecoming of your new baby. Some parents choose to bring home their newborn in formal attire that may even include accessories. Some parents choose to bring home their newborn in the coziest of pajamas. The homecoming is just one of the many “firsts” to come in the life of a new baby. What new parents learn very quickly is that every “first” for your newborn is a very special occasion and that your baby is one of a kind special.
As parents bring home their newborn, they immediately discover that their baby also brings home very special gifts. Special gifts such as the unique way their baby stretchs his or her face seconds before they begin to yawn. A special gift in the way the baby snuggles so close to their parents’ ear that the purring sounds remind them of a resting kitten. Or the special way their baby gets the littlest hiccups, but still remains with their eyes closed.
In addition to bringing home all their individual special gifts, parents realize that their babies also bring home their own special challenges. Some new babies come home with difficulty taking a bottle. Some new babies come home with trouble digesting milk and keeping the milk in their small bellies. Some new babies even come home with not being able to sleep outside an adults warm embrace.
Each parent identifies the special gifts and special challenges that their baby brings to the world. There are some parents that can adapt easily to all baby’s extraordinary gifts and challenges. There are other parents that may need additional support in understanding their unique challenges and how to work through the day to day struggles. New parents are not supposed to have all the answers for your new baby. If you seek further answers in regards to your newborn, New Baby Nurses are here to assist your special baby’s individual needs.
Journey with New Baby
As an expectant mother, much time is spent navigating through the numerous resources to find the best supports for beginning your journey with new baby. From word of mouth, reading reviews, chats with other parents, and the latest baby articles, every parent seeks to set out on the journey with the right steps. Going to workshops at local baby stores, reading up on every parenting book you can find, and attending the highly recommended prenatal courses though the community or your hospital is a great way to prepare you as much as possible before the birth of your baby. But what about after delivery of your new baby?
Even after all of the preparation, planning, and education you have received, are you ever really prepared for that brand new bundle of joy. Some new parents remember leaving the hospital where all the doctors, nurses, and their family were so excited for them. Then the reality sets in as they transition from the hospital to home. Some parents even leave the hospital crying thinking about the expectation to apply everything that they have learned from the nine months prior to new baby. The shock of feeling totally responsible sometimes leads new mothers to cry all the way home from the hospital, wishing and hoping one of the baby nurses would come home with them.
New parents, you are not alone in these overwhelming feelings. Applying all the knowledge that you know can often times be hard to apply to your unique newborn. What you learned in your newborn class prior to your delivery looks very different in your home. From swaddling, feedding, burping, and bathing your baby, when new parents take classes, there is difficulty because their is no point of reference or prior experience.
Help yourselves with the positive parenting support you are seeking that is individualized to your specific needs and your new baby! Because like you may have learned in your classes, your baby is exceptional to anyone else’s baby! New Baby Nurses can walk hand in hand with you through your journey.
