Photo from NBC.com
I had a lot of fun blogging about the birth episode of NBC’s The Office last night and contributing my thoughts as a doula and labor and delivery RN. Today I came across a post by another doula and childbirth educator from the Columbia Center in Wisconsin, which is where I grew up. Ann Grauer, LCCE, CD(DONA), IBCLC wrote the post: Top 10 Things I Learned From Pam and Jim’s Birth. It is wonderful, and below are a few of my favorites from Ann that relate to the early postpartum period:
One minute you feel on top of the world and the next you feel incompetent. Again, this is a new person in your life. Parts of parenting are so precious and others are more frustrating than you ever imagined. In a few days you will be a champion diaper-changer and baby-soother. In the mean time, the more upset the baby gets, the calmer you will want to become. It really does help, I promise.
New borns need to be held. A lot. Seriously——A LOT!!! They were held 24 hours a day prior to birth. They need your warmth, your voice and your heart beat. You can’t spoil a new born — they have needs, not wants.
Allow friends and family to bring you food. You have a lot to learn in the early days and weeks. The people who care about you want to help and you need to eat. It’s perfect! Let them bring you food. It may be the only way you get a hot meal in the first month.
Take a few moments just to enjoy it. The beginning of parenthood has a really fast, steep learning curve. Give your selves permission do nothing else but sit and stare at this sweet baby. You need to smell that incredible baby aroma every time you snuggle them under your chin. Do what we here at Columbia Center recommend for parents and their babies: Cuddle, Rock, Repeat…
Read the other 6 here.
