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!!