“Some emotional roller coasters are natural and expected after childbirth, even if your baby sleeps like an angel and you truly love your visiting in-laws.”

About 70% of new mothers experience some form or another of baby blues. These feelings are caused by the sudden change in hormonal balance after childbirth. Other factors that may trigger this phenomenon include feeling of anxiety stemming from the sudden responsibility and tremendous task of caring for a newborn, fatigue and lack of sleep every new parent experiences, even frustration over breastfeeding difficulties or problems.

Baby blues symptoms may include weepiness, mood swings, irritability, anxiety, loneliness, restlessness and / or impatience. While emotional turmoil is normal, you want to make sure it is under control to avoid more serious forms of depression, such as the postpartum depression or postpartum psychosis.  In rare instances, mothers who suffer from postpartum psychosis commonly do not know they are experiencing depression and are putting themselves and their child at risk. If you feel you are under more emotional pressure than you can deal with or would like to know more information about baby blues, speak with your health care provider.

Don’t keep your partner in the dark. If you feel that you have the baby blues, let him know what you are experiencing and find ways for him to help you in any way you may need.  You don’t have to deal with the baby blues alone. Together you can devise a plan to help you get some rest and share the responsibilities of parenthood.  Through cooperation and open communication, you can hurdle over the baby blues and enjoy raising the newest member of the family together.

This mild form of depression can start a few days to a week after giving birth, and usually lasts for about two weeks. If you continue feeling “blue” or notice the symptoms mentioned above lasting for over two weeks, talk with your physician about how to recognize and treat postpartum depression. There is no shame in admitting you are experiencing the baby blues. The sooner you talk about it and get the assistance you need, the sooner you will feel yourself again!

Our baby girl is a year old! What a milestone!

It is fascinating how the perception of time changes when you become a parent. The pregnancy, although ‘only’ nine months long, seemed like the longest period of time. Time stubbornly slowed down with the excitement to meet our baby. But looking back now, a year after the delivery – the fears of the unknown, getting ready for motherhood, the anticipation and all the WAITTING – they are almost like a faint memory.

So much has changed in the past year. Our little baby grew to be a happy, curious, adventurous and very energetic toddler. The transformation from an infant a baby girl went hand in hand with our own development from a couple who happens to have a baby, to parents.

It was amazing to watch her development. From a helpless infant who needed our help with any and every little thing, she has grown to be an independent little lady (ok, tom boy may be more like it..). It is so hard to imagine these changes that you just have to be present to experience them, and every moment (first real smile, the first time she turned, crawled, walked, first tooth, first sounds, first anything) is just so precious.

Happy First Birthday!

In a world where having children is a joy and excitement and anxious anticipation of what is to come fills our conversations – it’s amazing how quiet everyone gets once these little blessings arrive into our lives.  Let’s be honest, parenting is hard!  However, what often makes it harder is that few parents will admit or even talk about the difficulties of parenting. Sometimes I wonder if people are living in denial, or if they are just hiding under a thick blanket of ‘keeping appearances’ up for the surrounding world.  Regardless, of why so many shy away from admitting that parenting hard – it is, and remains the world’s most difficult and challenging job!  It will test your patience, ability to multi-task, ability to get anything truly done in a day, and it will force you to operate and function with only minimal sleep.  Somehow when we are planning for our babies to arrive we find it hard to imagine any difficulties or challenges.  Even while pregnant, you may think “I want 3 kids”, and plan them to be two years apart – your plan will be the most logical thing to you, and seemingly make sense until your first baby arrives.  Then reality sets in..

The reality of motherhood is that it is far from being logical let alone scheduled. Life takes a new turn once your little one arrives, and for the most part takes control over your daily routine. Especially if you choose to be a stay at home Mom (but also if you don’t), and try to put order in the chaos that is now your life (newborns often mix up their days and nights, and if you are lucky, they will feed every 3 hours on average). It will take months (if not years) till your schedule will return to.. hummmm, your hands.

Children are a joy – nonetheless, parenting is challenging and difficult.  People don’t tell you that being a new parent equals little to no sleep for months, dealing with new experiences (even with your second or third child; each baby is unique in its temper and needs), and having to keep going, providing, and many times having to keep a job on top of everything at home.

The irony is we can’t truly know what we do not know, nor can we understand experiences we have never had – yet it is really important to know that the challenges that lie ahead will test you in ways you’ve never been tested before.  However, do not spend too much time worrying over the future and try to enjoy the pregnancy with all its challenges and expect for the best after. Meeting your new baby is an amazing experience. Learning how to care for your newborn, yourself and your marriage is not easy, but give yourself a chance, with time, it DOES get easier. And if you need help, support or advice, you can always speak to family, your baby’s pediatrician, friends or other professionals.

Enjoy every minute, because even if you are sleep deprived and think you are miserable, you’ll be surprised at how fast this stage is gone and they grow. Enjoy your baby’s milestones that make you a proud mother such as the first time they smile, laugh, turn, crawl, etc. Like many things in life, the little things are what make it all worth it.

Amazingly enough, we forget how difficult it was and then have another…

When you see your friends or family members go through a pregnancy you think, ‘how nice’, or maybe even ‘she’s so lucky’. You never consider the stress and planning that goes into having a child until… you are there (yes, there are a few planners who think of it all in advance, but even they have surprises along the way).

As your delivery date approaches you may suddenly realize that you don’t know much about how to care for a baby.  You may not have ever given a bath to a newborn, and/or you are clueless about breastfeeding.  There are millions of things to know – yet most of us go into motherhood less than prepared for the challenges that lie ahead. These types of thoughts may be overwhelming, but before you freak out you should know that you are not alone!

The truth is that everyone who chooses to have a baby has to learn how to care for their child (and who better than you to care for your baby). It has been done for generations by new (and clueless) parents around the world. However, by some miracle most of us become a ‘pro’ in no time!

In the meanwhile, how do you get over the anxiety and fears you have around caring for a baby that isn’t even here yet? That’s a great question! First, you can (and should) take advantage of parenting classes offered by your hospital, such as baby basics, infant CPR, breastfeeding, etc.

Second, turn to your friends and family for help and advice. Other Moms have experienced many of the same feelings you are facing now (weather they will admit to it is a different story), reach out to them and try to learn from their experience.

You can also find reading material on caring for a newborn online or in print (What to Expect your First Year as well as many others.  There are some really good books that can guide you through more than just the first year!)

When your baby finally arrives, ask for help and accept any help offered to you! Just remember when you suddenly find yourself doubting and fearful of what to do next remember you are not alone!