Another good blog find: Alpha Mom

I love reading blogs that have helpful information and lots and lots of real life experience (with a dash of humor) and that’s exactly what you’ll find when reading “Alpha Mom”..

I was reading an article on the first days home with your new baby .. and she couldn’t have said it better..

Oh my God. What just HAPPENED?

(Or you might not. You might be one of those women who bask in a gentle glowy glow afterwards, with your perfect makeup and hair and oh look! The basketball you’ve been carrying under your shirt is gone and HI AB MUSCLES! And then your milk comes in five minutes later and your baby poops gold ingots and you know what? This column is probably not for you. Move along.)

the full article:

http://www.alphamom.com/postpartum-mom/2009/03/afterbirth_first_days_postpartum.php#more

And if you’ve come here before having your baby and think that you couldn’t possibly relate to anything in this article..read it ..just do it! 

I think it’s so important to know what’s coming up and not to feel scared/overwhelmed at the idea of having a baby .. but being prepared is the best way to keep some of those postpartum emotions in check.

Sometimes even doulas need help!

(baby E all wrapped up like a little baby burrito!)

I’ve been working with a family for almost two weeks now and it’s been so great to watch them get to know their sweet baby boy! I’ve been making dinners, grocery shopping and chatting with mom about her feelings and daily experiences. I’ve also let her borrow a few books (Happiest Baby on the Block, The Baby Book) and I think those have helped her find the information she’s been looking for and makes me happy that they are coming from reliable sources!

They’ve needed more care than I could have done by myself and I’ve been working closely with Beth Brownstein and she’s been such a great help! It’s so important to have someone who I can count on (and she can count on me) to help me out and fill in the gaps! I hope that we’ll continue to help each other out for a long time!

Another one of my “Moms” just had her twin baby boys and I’m going to help her out on Wednesday nights for a few weeks! I haven’t worked with twins for a long time .. they are always a fun adventure!!

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

 

 

It’s been a busy week!

I’ve been helping out a new mommy for a few hours here/there this week and it’s been great! She’s nursing her little boy ‘E’  like a champ and he’s growing more content with a full belly everyday. 

It’s so rewarding to help a new mom (and a new dad) when you’re a mom yourself.. it brings me right back to my son’s early days and my empathy for what they are feeling is brought up to the surface.

I have another mommy that has her due date coming up (11/18) and she’s looking for strictly overnight care once a week. She’s planning on using that time as something she can look forward to when she’s up during the night on the other days!

 

Last night..

I was in West Hartford to hear Sharon Thomason talk to a room full of expecting parent’s. The topic is one that’s almost to hard to explain in words unless you’ve been through it for yourself .. and that’s life “after baby”. 

I think she did a great job of touching on important points without creating fear on what’s to come. As long as you can prepare yourself that things are not going to always go as planned ..but that the joy you do feel will be unlike any other joy  you’ve experienced .. and you’ll be on the right path. 

Increasing Joy: Planning for Life “After Baby”

The transformation from “couple” to “family” has often been anticipated and planned for, yet new parents may be astounded by the intensity of these changes.  If you are expecting to be new parents, support can help you manage the stressful challenges of a newborn so you may cherish the joyful moments. A “helpnet” of your circle of family and friends can be critical in providing this support.  Dr. Sharon Thomason will speak about planning for help after baby comes home: the who, what, when, and where of the assistance which may ease this transformation.

One of the couples sitting next to me asked what the top three important things to know as your leaving the hospital and bringing home a new baby..And I was thinking about that question as I was driving home last night.

If I had to answer that question I would have told them to pay attention to how those nurses swaddle the baby and even to ask for a swaddle lesson! Swaddling the baby can help increase how much a baby is sleeping  and that equals more sleep for mom/dad .. and that’s pretty high up on the important list!

Here’s a great article I found on swaddling:

http://ivysppdblog.wordpress.com/2009/09/11/infant-swaddling-and-the-startle-reflex/

 

Happy Friday everyone!!

I was meant to read this article..

It’s from the blog Postpartum Progress: Postpartum Among Top 10 Fastest Growing Topics at Meetup.com

http://postpartumprogress.typepad.com/weblog/2009/10/postpartum-among-top-10-fastest-growing-topics-at-meetupcom.html

It was just the article to remind me that I must keep working on getting a Postpartum group going in my little area of Connecticut. It’s nessasary/needed .. and it’s time to make it work!

I did a search on Meetup and couldn’t find a group like this in my area or even 50 miles around me! Now I know that doesn’t mean that they are not out there.. but Meetup reaches a lot of people and maybe it would be a good way to get the word out on my group!

It’s a work in progress!

Get the word out..

And I will .. this week!

Jan Tarr is an editor for Manchester Life (a town newspaper in Connecticut) and she wants to do a story on Postpartum doulas! We’re going to talk about why it’s necessary to raise awareness about Postpartum doulas and the kind of help we provide at a very crucial time in a mom’s life..

I was speaking to a mom over the phone this weekend and she’s due with twins next month!

She already has a 4-year-old son and from what I could hear on the phone he sounds like my son full of energy!! .. Mom is already thinking ahead & how she might have feelings of being overwhelmed and overtired..which seems about right when thinking of having multiples. 

One of her friends suggested hiring an extra set of hands to help out and her first thought was that her friend was crazy and that she wasn’t some celebrity that could just go out and afford to hire help! 

I explained to her that I could be flexible and we could arrange hours/times that fit her families budget and provided relief at the same time. She agreed and we’re going to work together after her babies are born in November!

And I guess that’s one of the points I hope to touch on in the interview this week.. That having Postpartum help doesn’t have to be expensive and break the bank.. but it is an investment in your well being as a mom during these days with a new baby.

Do you have a friend or a family member that you think might benefit from some extra help after the baby is born? I also provide gift certificates for my services and they would make a special baby shower gift! 

Email me with any questions/comments!

Mom+Mother in Law+Sister+Cousin+Best friend+Aunt+Grandma

What do all these ladies have in common?

They are so excited that you are having a baby!

And they can’t wait to come over your house and offer their help, hold the baby and bring treats to your older children. And the best part is.. a Postpartum doula is there to help you get things straightened up before family comes over so that you can enjoy their company, relax and not worry about the huge pile of dishes in the sink.

So the big question I’ve heard come up in conversations is “Why” do mothers need postpartum help if it’s built in through the generosity of your family members..and that was a hard question to answer ..Not because I didn’t know the answer.. but to explain it in a way that really made sence to families. 

Tonights article really sums up my feelings on that important question:

(the full article): http://milkshakesandmargaritas.typepad.com/milkshakes_and_margaritas/2009/08/new-baby-gift-guide.html

the best gift I received after i gave birth to Sophie Lee was a postpartum doula.

I credit Annies invaluable help as a post partum doula during the weeks following the birth of my daughter with making the adjustment to motherhood smooth and stressfree.

As a first time mom, I had no idea what to expect and Annie provided humor, perspective,practical help–anything from doing my shopping,dishes,laundry, to teaching me how to nourish myself with healthy foods that were easy to make while juggling a newborn (my favorite was a big bowl of chopped boiled eggs, chopped tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and avacado), to preparing me nutritious smoothies and lunches, to helping me decipher the baby sling, the breast pump and every detail.

Sometimes she just gave me a break so i could take a long shower.

Basically she did everything that your mom (or whichever family member) offers to do but with no hangups or attachments to how you want to do things. I felt free to ask anything of her. Her help, a few hours a day helped me transition into motherhood successfully and joyfully.

And that’s a great answer to why having someone from outside your “village” (the people who will help you out through the years of raising your child) come in during the Postpartum time.

Postpartum doulas are nonjudgmental and our feelings won’t be hurt if you don’t take our advice ..but can you say the same thing would be true if it was your mother?

Happy Friday!

Yesterday was a pretty busy day ..

I got to meet up with Sharon from The MomSource and it’s great to meet someone that’s on the same page about helping out mom’s and families during the Postpartum time.. I think her website will really help others in our area by having Postpartum resources in one spot. Sharon also thought my idea of a casual ‘group’ of mom’s getting together and talking about their experiences after having a baby .. was a great idea! Great encouragement to keep working on it!

I got a phone call yesterday to help out a family that has a 1yr old and a new one on the way at the end of December ..she’s thinking ahead and remembering how she felt after delivering the first time and wants to have help on hand afterwards this time! We’re meeting up in a few weeks to chat about exactly what she’s looking for .. I love meeting with new people!

And an email looking for help with triplets in the New Haven area ..and the email wasn’t from the mom but from the sister-in-law! How great that she’s trying to search for Postpartum help! So sweet & thoughtful! I hope to chat with the mom soon.

I hope everyone has a great Friday and a nice long weekend! We’re going up to a campground (where my parents are seasonal campers) and my son gets to trick-or-treat on Saturday afternoon! He’s going to be a doctor! Three year olds are so much fun!!

Happy Monday!

I added a new ‘page’ up at the top of the blog called-

“What families need:” http://ktaylordoula.wordpress.com/what-new-families-need/

It’s going to be a busy week around here!

I’m waiting on news that a family has welcomed a new baby boy to the family! (Mom’s due date was 10/4) And I can’t wait to help them out!

And I’m meeting up with Sharon from http://www.themomsource.net/

“The MomSource was created by inspiration to fill a need…” And I couldn’t agree more! I think Connecticut needs to offer more support to mom’s and families during the Postpartum time and this is going to be a great resource for them.

The Mission (from the MomSource)

The MomSource’s mission is to provide quality support, planning, and referrals for families expecting babies. The MomSource is a “safety net” for families: proactively identifying needs and connecting families with sources of support. Our goal is to ease the transition into new roles with practical and emotional support, reducing stress and enhancing joy.

Less stress and more joy .. what Mom wouldn’t want that!

Have you seen this yet?

This mom might win the award of: Best candidate (I’ve ever heard of) for Postpartum help!

http://www.growingyourbaby.com/2009/09/23/indonesian-mom-gives-birth-to-19-2lbs-baby/

Happy Friday everyone!