CincyBabies

Being a parent in this millennium is overwhelming. Yes, we have unprecedented access to information, but this same access is creating information overload! Here we share information you might have in interest in and we invite you to do the same.

MOMS GROUPS

Mom-to-Mom: You’ve made it through the birth – now what?!   Where can you turn to for support, encouragement, understanding, and answers to your “new mom” questions?  The CFEC!  We’re here for you.  Join us monthly for as long as you need the companionship of other new parents struggling with the same issues as you.  We understand; we’ve been there.

Visit the Cincinnati Family Enrichment Center for days and times

When you get a new job, you usually have to do a good amount of training before you get any real responsibility. Unfortunately, being a parent doesn’t work the same way. Nobody makes you take a training course on how to raise a child. It’s next to impossible to be good at something without practice, so why not practice parenting skills? Whether you choose to parent your children the way your parents raised you, parenting classes provide you with additional options and alternative viewpoints. One of the benefits of parenting classes is staying up to date on the newest and most effective parenting techniques and strategies. Parenting classes can also help take some of the mystery out of being a parent. They can teach you what to expect, effective ways to discipline, and how to connect emotionally with your child. They can also help you work through specific challenges you might be having, such as toilet training or tantrums, as well as prepare for times of transition, such as a new baby joining the family. Whether you have a newborn or a teenager, it’s never too late to try and learn effective parenting techniques!

Here we share some of our favorite local parenting classes & workshops; please share yours!

Happiest Baby on the Block - take prior to baby’s birth

• learn about a reflex in the newborn’s brain that when triggered can turn off crying and eliminate colic!

Baby’s Amazing Journey - take prior to baby’s birth

• learn the key developmental milestones your baby should be achieving their first 12 months of life and how to best help them achieve them, and if they’re not, what steps to take

Fast Track to Fatherhood - take prior to baby’s birth

• using an open forum discussion atmosphere, topics of concern to participating dads are discussed, as well as day-to-day baby care, building confidence, and ideas for coping with the stresses associated with becoming a father

TotSaver - take prior to baby’s birth

• teaches you how to recognize medical emergencies  and how to provide emergency assistance for your infant or young child, including CPR

Infant/Child Safety - take prior to baby’s birth

• experts in each field teach about car seat installation and use, fire safety, poisonous substances, sleeping safety, and pet issues

• learn over 100 useful ASL signs to communicate with your baby as young as 6 months of age, giving them the ability to “talk” with you prior to developing speech – really reduces the whining, crying!

Babies and young children have an intense need for the physical presence of a consistent, loving, parent. Daily care and playful, loving interactions build strong bonds. By providing consistent, loving care from early infancy, parents strengthen their relationship with their child and build a healthy attachment that their child will take with them into their adult lives and ultimately share with their children – and their children can do the same – a life cycle of compassion and connection. Here we share parenting philosophies, strategies, encouragement, and judgment-free support. Please join us!

Pregnant and new parents need a place where they can visit to assist them in their search in making the best choices possible during pregnancy, birth, and early parenting for themselves and their babies.  We certainly don’t have all the answers, because there is no one right way to birth or parent, but we hope our sharing of resources that we have found helpful and enlightening will help you on your journey of self -discovery.  We all have the right to make the choices we feel are best for ourselves as individuals, yet sometimes what we feel in our hearts and our guts isn’t supported by our family and social circle.  We want you to be affirmed that you are in charge of your choice-making, whether it’s preparing for your  fantasy birth experience, advocating for your newborn, or making safe and healthy first-year parenting choices. We strive to provide an open-eye environment, that is nonjudgemental, unbiased, and affirming. Any research that is posted is evidence-based, therefore unbiased. We invite you to share in our self discoveries and contribute your own to assist other parents in making empowering pregnancy, birth, and parenting choices.

BOOKS

 

INFANT MASSAGE

The Aware Baby

Loving Hands, by Fredric LeBoyer

Baby Touch, by Wendy Kavanaugh

PARENTING

Babies And Their Mothers, by Michel Odent

Peaceful Parenting for a Hectic World

SLEEPING

Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child

LOCAL SUPPORT

The Cincinnati Family Enrichment Center

www.theplaceforfamilies.com

(513) 591-CFEC (2332)

4244 Hamilton Avenue (in Historic Northside)  Cincinnati, OH 45223

- weekly mom support gatherings
- monthly dad social gathering
- free weekend parenting workshops
- parent/child enrichment classes

WEB SITES

PARENTING

www.theparentingpassageway.com

www.attachmentparenting.org

 

Ages/Stages

The first 3 months following birth are a sensitive period in which you and your baby are uniquely primed to want to be close to one another. A close attachment after birth promotes the natural, biological attachment-promoting behaviors of your infant and your intuitive, biological, caregiving qualities to come together. “Attachment” is a special bond between parent and child; a feeling that draws you magnetically to your baby; a relationship that when felt to its deepest degree causes the mother to feel that the baby is a part of her. This feeling is so strong that, at least in the early months, the mother only feels complete when she is with her baby. Parenting is too individual and each baby too complex for there to be only one way to parent. The important point is to get connected to your baby. Once connected, stick with what is working and modify what is not, regardless of how others might feel about your choices. You will ultimately develop your own parenting style, one that feels right for your family.

 

TOPIC: Advice for New Moms
I have a friend who is about to have a baby, and although I have only been a mom for 4 months now, I feel like I have a wealth of information to share with her, and thought that this may be a good place to share.

1)  It is OKAY to ask for help.
2)  What works for one mom may not be what works best for you.
3)  You don’t have to be Supermom! inside secret: she doesn’’t exist.
4)  You are always going to forget something, or inevitably it will get hot      when you have dressed baby for winter, etc.  Pre-pack your car with  extra diapers, blankets, burp cloths, etc.
5) YOU know what is best for YOUR baby (see #2)… Everyone will have  theories on what you are doing or not doing to screw up your baby…!
6)  Enjoy every cry, every spit-up at the worst time, every sleepless night  the best that you can. It goes by way too fast!
7)  As soon as you think you have a handle on one stage, they learn  something new and you are back to square one.  Just go with it.
 Take all of this advice with a grain of salt.  Each kid and experience is  different. Just enjoy it!

Have some advice you’d like to share?  Submit it!

TOPIC: Swaddling

After 9 months of warmth and security, a baby can have a difficult time adjusting to the huge amount of activity present in life outside their mother’s womb. Dr. Harvey Karp, author of Happiest Baby on the Block believes that babies need at least 3 months to begin adjusting to their new world.

Why Swaddle?
1. It helps babies sleep longer and sounder.
2. It is proven to reduce colic and fussiness.
3. It recreates the warmth and security of the mother’s womb.
4. Swaddling limits the startle reflex, which wakes babies during their    sleep.
5. Properly swaddled babies sleep longer.
6. It reduces the risk of SIDS.
7. Swaddling helps a newborn focus on mastering the breastfeeding skill,  leading to more efficient and effective feedings.
8. It enables the “dream feed” – the ability to pick up a sleeping baby, feed  without fully waking them, and easily put them back down to sleep.
9. Swaddling provides a tool to more easily wake and energize a sleepy  baby to nurse by the process of unswaddling. This can be helpful with  sleepy babies who in the early days of nursing need to be woken or  encouraged to nurse in order to ensure the establishment of a healthy  milk supply.

Swaddling Myths
1. It’s too late to swaddle.
False! It’s never too late even if your baby is already 2 or 3 months old.  Many mothers swaddle their baby until 6 months of age.
2. Swaddling is primitive
So is sex!
3. Babies feel trapped.
False! Newborns love being confined and are soothed by being tightly  swaddled.
4. Babies will overheat.
False! In warmer weather babies can be swaddled in a onesie or just  their diaper.
5. Swaddling takes too much effort.
False! After a few attempts you’ll be an expert. Dads tend to make the  best swaddlers!
6. Babies will become dependent on it.
False! You can’t spoil a newborn! Say it with me 3 times, “I can’t spoil my  newborn!”, “I can’t spoil my newborn!”, “I can’t spoil my newborn!”. After 3  months you can start gauging whether they’re ready to sleep swaddle- free by leaving one arm out, then the other over a period of days.

**Learning to swaddle is a skill and a technique that too many parents pass up for lack of guidance or knowledge about the benefits. Enroll in a local Happiest Baby on the Block workshop for hands-on guidance. You can register atwww.trihealth.com .

 

Social conditioning has led parents to believe that if a baby is held or carried too frequently they’ll be spoiled, clingy, or demanding. Modern research reveals quite the opposite! Babies worn in slings are less clingy and tend to initiate separation much earlier than babies less frequently held. The close proximity of the baby enables parents to respond to ‘non-crying’ signals, which results in less frustration and stress, and most of all… less crying – 40 to 50 less compared to unworn babies! Baby-wearing calms the fussiest of babies whether due to a higher-needs personality, aiding good digestion by easing the symptoms of colic and reflux, and promoting better sleep patterns. Baby-wearing not only promotes an intimate connection between parent and baby, it is one of the most important factors in the healthy social, motor, and intellectual development of infants. Baby-wearing allows parents the freedom to go about their normal daily routine while allowing their child to be at the center of activity not the center of attention, providing the physical and psychological benefits of a sense of security, emotional contentment, and the building of a solid sense of self-esteem.

 

 

ADVANTAGES TO BABYWEARING

• Cook dinner during the “witching hour” and soothe your baby at the same time.
• Do the gardening, chores, socialize, even dance, while providing a stimulating learning environment for your baby.
• Breastfeed hands-free while on the phone, cooking,  or shopping.
• Sick of strangers touching your child? They are much less likely to reach in for a pinch if they are attached to your body.
• Keep your baby close and happy while playing with your toddler.
• Get some exercise (walking) while your baby sleeps.
• No need to lug around an awkward, heavy carseat, or battle getting a stroller into your car, onto a bus or up stairs.
• Wear through airport security.

 

 

BENEFITS OF BABYWEARING

• Baby’s cry less! Research has shown that babies who are carried cry (on average) 43% less overall and 54% less during the evening hours.
• It is good for baby’s mental development. Babies spend more time in a “quiet, alert state” when carried – the ideal state for learning. Their senses are stimulated while being carried (yet there is a place to retreat to). When carried, your baby sees the world from where you do, instead of the ceiling or people’s knees from a stroller. This extra stimulation benefits brain development.
• A content, alert baby observes and learns more readily.
• It’s good for baby’s emotional development. Babies are quickly able to develop a sense of security and trust when they are carried. They are more likely to be securely attached to their care-giver/s and often become independent at an earlier age.
• While in a sling, baby participates in the bearer’s walking, talking, laughing, working and playing.
• Babies in a sling have little reason to kick, arch, stiffen or cry. They are busy enjoying pleasure, warmth, touch, security and oneness with their parent.
• It’s good for baby’s physical development. By being so close to your body’s rhythms, your newborn “gets in rhythm” much more quickly. Your heartbeat, breathing, voice and warmth are all familiar. Research shows this helps newborns to adapt to life outside the womb.
• A stroller or plastic carrier does not provide the tactile stimulation and natural rhythm of movement necessary for proper neurological development.
• Looking out from a stroller, bouncer or playpen, though convenient for the caretaker, does not provide the gamut of stimulation a baby needs for proper development.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT STYLE FOR YOU
Finding the right carrier depends on a number of things.  Below are some questions you need to ask yourself before purchasing a sling/carrier.

• Age of baby
• What position/s do you prefer to use when you carry your baby?
• Do you have any physical problems that could restrict your choice?
• One babycarrier or more? Will you be sharing it with a partner?
• What activities will you use the babycarrier for?
• How adjustable does your babycarrier need to be?
• What type of babycarrier suits your personality?
• What extremes of climate will you need to cope with?
• Will you need to carry more than one child at the same time?

CARRIERS BY STYLE

• Asian Baby Carriers: Mei Tai
• Ring Slings: Maya Wrap
• Structured Carriers: Ergo, Beco, Baby Bejorn
• Wraps: Moby Wrap
• Pouches: Kangaroo Korner
• Other: Baby K’Tan

WORKSHOPS TO HELP YOU MAKE THE BEST DECISION

• Tummy to Tummy: a free workshop is offered bi-monthly at the Cincinnati Family Enrichment Center.

• Baby Wearing Bliss: a free workshop held on the second Sunday of each month at Park+Vine.

*Like any skill, and yes, it is a skill, wearing your baby takes practice and patience.  You are not going to get it right the first time! Both Park+Vine and The Cincinnati family Enrichment Center provide personal assistance with carriers during general business hours and offer a large variety of carriers for sale.

Today, we live in an unprecedented communicative society so why don’t mothers tell women who will become mothers what to expect? Why do many of us still feel so unknowing with our own newborns?

Many of us discover after giving birth that becoming a mother involves a whole new way of being. Very little that we were good at in the work world can be transferred to the world of mothering. Those very abilities, which were valued at work, can feel useless when we’re caring for our needy infant. Time takes on a completely different meaning when a mother loves her infant. It may take her a while to realize what a responsibility she has undertaken. There is never any real time off – day, evening and night, week and weekend, even on holidays or her own birthday, she continues to be a mother. Even when someone gives her a break she never stops thinking about her baby, always feeling responsible. At work, a woman’s day is punctuated by clock time. But a breastfeeding mother responds to her baby’s hunger around the clock. A mother who decides that she wants to fit in with her baby needs, rather than forcing a schedule, can easily feel as if she’s being pushed around or manipulated. She may alternate between moments of feeling proud of being a good mother with moments of feeling confused and doubtful about her choices. No woman learns to become a mother overnight. It involves major changes to our identities. We do it in steps, over years, rather than weeks or months. It can be exciting one moment but too difficult the next, when we long to return to our familiar working identities. What startles mothers most is the unexpected strength of their love for their babies, creating doubt and confusion about returning to their employment.

 

Women who have become mothers find it hard to explain to their non-mother friends that they may look like their old selves, but they feel very different. Becoming a mother is one of the major transformations in our unfolding identities as women. A mother’s ripening beauty is part of this process. It is completely genuine. Mothers do not necessarily feel beautiful, yet they reveal a different kind of beauty. Mothers can look incredibly tender and warm, gentle, and intensely alive, exuding feminine strength.

 

The relationship between a mother and her partner is also changing. Breastfeeding gives a completely new dimension to their relationship. Both may feel they have lost the intimacy they used to have. However, the exuberance of their breastfed baby demonstrates the result of their love, and usually deepens it. After some months, the baby becomes able to express his love for his mother, which is completely unconditional. A woman may never have received such generous love before. If she has been brought up by critical parents, the love of her baby can be a profoundly healing experience.

Dramatic changes occur during this part of the first year of life, as your baby’s physical and intellectual abilities take an giant leap forward. Your 6 to 12 month-old will learn to sit, stand, crawl, and perhaps even walk. As you eagerly anticipate your baby’s new mobility and achievements, remember that milestones only represent the approximate age that the average baby accomplishes any given task. In general, infants between 6 and 12 months of age develop better control of their actions such as their pincer grasp and coordination, aren’t fooled by “out of sight, out of mind”, may develop stranger anxiety, begin teething, and will babble, are able to learn sign language, and may even say a few words.

 

A baby’s interest in play expands greatly throughout these months. Play is a baby’s “work”, so offering your baby as many enrichment opportunities as possible promotes not only their motor development, but cognitive, memory, and social, as well. And of course activities such as reading, talking, singing, and signing with your baby all promote language development.  Now that your baby is becoming mobile, you’ll want to make sure to double-check that her surroundings are safety-proofed accordingly.

 

As the months progress your baby will begin to show an interest in solids and attempting to feed herself. Although this can be a messy venture, practicing using a cup and utensils enhances a baby’s eye hand coordination and fine motor skills.  Formula or breast milk continues to play an important nutritional role for the entire first year. Until children reach a year new foods should still be introduced one at a time, with a few days in between so that it is easier to recognize any signs of food allergies and be able to identify which food(s) caused them. In general, parents should not give their infants cow’s milk, or foods that are more likely to cause reactions (such as peanut products or egg whites), until after they reach a year. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies be breastfed for the first year of life, and indeed there are 100 benefits to date.

 

Becoming a parent is the most fulfilling, rewarding, life-altering event you’ll ever experience! Parenting is also frustrating and exhausting, scattered with periods of doubt in your abilities and choices. So if you’re needing a a light-hearted moment, click on something below – laughter releases endorphins (natural opiates) – go ahead, you deserve it!

• 10 Things to Love about Being Pregnant

Twins Having a conversation:

http://shine.yahoo.com/event/momentsofmotherhood/twin-baby-boys-have-a-conversation-2469953/

The amount a baby sleeps in any given 24-hour period tends to change only slightly between 6 and 12 months, varying by only half an hour by their first birthday. The most common pattern of sleep at this age, if in fact a baby has learned to sleep well through the night, is a 10 to 11 hour stretch at night, and 2 daytime naps that gradually decrease in length. Maintaining a good bedtime routine–such as feeding, bathing, infant massage, and reading a book while listening to calming music can help your child anticipate bedtime and fall asleep more easily.

 

 

 

 

Remember that milestones are only meant to help health professionals (and parents) assess whether children are developing as expected. Despite the temptation to compare your child’s abilities — whether crawling, talking, signing, or walking — with those of your friend’s child, remind yourself that every child is different. Your child is a unique individual who is likely to be anything but average!

 

Birthing Pearls of Wisdom
-If you feel like your labor may begin soon, don’t worry about tying up loose ends. Get your rest. I was exhausted from not sleeping for about 36 hours when he was finally born because I stayed up to 1:00 working.
- The biggest benefit I got from HypnoBirthing class was removing the fear of giving birth and making me believe that I could do it naturally. Being surrounded by like-minded people really helped us to achieve the birth we wanted and we even learned about things we didn’t know that we would want but ultimately became very important to us like delayed cord clamping.
- Having a supportive partner, doula and doctor are key. I switched doctors at 33 weeks and I think it was the best decision of my pregnancy. I knew that there would be a time when I didn’t want to do it anymore, but I had my team to tell me that I was already doing it and that I could keep doing it and that was essential. My husband was the perfect partner and 100% positive and supportive. Dr. Bowen was also a wonderful source of positive energy. If I had stayed with my old doctors, I know that when I started saying that I didn’t want to do it anymore they could have easily been like, “you don’t have to, let’s call anesthesiology.” But I’m so glad that was not my experience.
We discussed cord blood banking in class. We opted to do it and to do the delayed cord clamping. I wanted to share that the sample my doctor collected was 10 times that minimum stem cell requirement despite letting the cord pulse out for nearly 15 minutes. So, these two things are not actually incompatible as some people think.

“Is your baby sleeping through the night?” is a frequent question, This sounds as though sleeping through the night is a desirable goal for all babies, and sleep training is one way to achieve it. If a mother replies: “No, he wakes up every night several times,” she can appear to have failed to reach this desirable goal. But human milk is efficiently digested. Breastfed babies usually get hungry at night and need to wake up to feed. This means that when the mother breastfeeds at night, she has not failed. She has succeeded in satisfying the essential needs of her baby.

“Why don’t you leave your baby to cry?” is another common question, sometimes followed by the words: “You should go out of earshot. He’ll soon stop crying if he knows you’re not coming.”  Some people today consider it beneficial for babies to soothe themselves, rather than to be comforted by their mothers. However, this value might sound alien to a breastfeeding mother. She longs to pick her baby up because she believes that a distressed baby needs to be comforted. “The comfort and security extended by your loving arms is never wasted,” states THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING.

If you are considering sharing sleep with your baby, consider reading these books:
•         The Science of Sharing Sleep by Lee T. Gettler and James J. McKenna. An internationally recognized research team responds to public misinformation about cosleeping and bedsharing.
•         The Solace of the Family Bed by Sarah J. Buckley, MD. A renowned doctor reassures parents that infant night waking is normal.  And it’s safe to sleep with your kids.

There are other ways to help your child learn how to sleep, or be comforted through the night without using the “cry it out” method.  Please consider these books when deciding how to proceed.
•         The No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley

Remember, good sleep comes and goes for all of us.  As babies grow their sleep habits change to get better and worse, based on things like teething, new foods, growth spurts, and cyclical sleep regression.  As one mother put it when talking about her 18 month old son, “”My expectations for his sleep habits are low, so when I sleep for 4 hours straight, it is something to celebrate, and if he doesn’t, it isn’t a major disappointment.

Vaccinating is a controversial subject, which is a growing concern for today’s parents. We struggle with finding the answers to our questions, wanting to get the whole picture – risks, benefits, and the most recent research about approaches to immunity and disease prevention, all which will assist us in making informed choices about immunizing our children. Freedom of choice in health care includes the choice to vaccinate or not. Parents should question the routine use of vaccines, investigate the subject, ask questions, and read the literature. This doesn’t constitute disagreement, but rather promotes educated decision-making.  Informed parents can make better choices for their children. Our desire is for our site to serve as a bridge that will unite both “sides” with the common goal of optimal health for all children.

Book Suggestions

Vaccinations – A Thoughtful Parent’s Guide , by Aviva Jill Romm
Excerpt: This book is about helping parents make intelligent health care choices for their children, operating on the premise that the good of the individual and the good of society are not mutually exclusive independent variables but are codependent factors. Mahatma Ghandi said, “Any action thata is dictated by fear or coercion of any kind ceases to be moral.”

Please share your favorite resources with us.

 

No one other than the mother is more personally and profoundly affected by the baby’s birth than you are. As the mother’s lover and the baby’s father, you are connected to them like no other. Your role-to provide stability and refuge-is unique to you. Your presence profoundly influences your partner and how she navigates through labor. As a vigilant attendant, you offer your partner tremendous security and have the power to alter how labor and birth unfold. Fathers who are present at birth are often captured by their baby immediately. especially if they were actively involved in the birth, maybe even catching their newborn at birth. A father also experiences new feelings about his mate. He may speak of his amazement at her courage, strength, and endurance during labor. He now faces the task of integrating his memory of her in labor with his previous knowledge and feelings about her. A man may also feel that the labor experience has altered his whole life view. He may have gained a sense of the miraculous and spiritual, of a deeper meaning to life.

 

 

 

Fathers are not just substitute mothers, pinch-hitting for the real mother while she is away. Dads make their own unique contribution to the development of their baby. Your baby will not love you more or less than his mother. Your baby will love you differently. Nothing matures a man like becoming an involved father. Research shows that babies benefit tremendously from experiencing the different parenting styles between women and men. Whereas women are more nurturing, men are more playful. It is essential that women allow men to parent in their own way. This instills confidence in the new father and will encourage them to be actively involved in their child’s day to day care.

 

 

 

The first forty days and forty nights are remarkably special, and pass quickly. It is a time of bliss and challenge as you, your baby, and your partner adjust to your new lifestyle. It is an intensely adoring, tender, and blessed time, as most fathers find themselves falling head over heels in love. Their awareness becomes concentrated. They become captivated and take delight in every movement and sound their baby makes. Immerse yourself in the experience. Spend time with your baby and your partner. Gaze upon your baby. Hold your baby. Be brutal in cutting out extraneous activities, and give yourself time to unabashedly and exclusively enjoy your baby, your partner, and this extraordinary beginning you share. In many cultures, this 40 day period is a time of exclusivity for the mother and baby, with the mother not leaving her bedroom or separating contact from her newborn. Family and neighbors attend to all her needs, allowing her the freedom to focus only on her mothering. If this is your first baby, you will be adjusting to your new role as father and family man. If you already have a family, the whole family is adjusting to the new dynamic. Because every child is different, each child is a unique and new adventure. Give yourself lots of unstructured time to get to know your baby and adjust to your new lifestyle.

 

 

It can be a real challenge finding resources for fathers, so please help us add to our list!

DAD GROUPS

Hands-On Dads: Join other Dads who want to have fun learning and playing with their kids. Dads meet once a month for a fun community outing with their kids!

- contact John @ jsangiorgio@me.com & visit the Cincinnati Family Enrichment Center for more information

BOOKS

• Hit the Ground Crawling
• Fathers at Birth
• The Birth Partner’s Handbook

WEB SITES

• www.fatherstobe.org
• www.rebeldad.com
• www.dadsadventure.com
• www.naturalpapa.com

Circumcision is “normal” among Americans. Normality is associated with cultural values. What is familiar becomes a cultural value. Circumcision is familiar. The term “uncircumcised” suggests that to be circumcised is the norm, the standard. This is an assumption made by a culture that practices circumcision. However, nonreligious infant circumcision is not “normal” in any culture outside of the United States.From a global perspective, to be “uncircumcised” is to be normal, the way males are born, and the way most of the world’s males remain.
As the American debate about circumcision develops, the words “intact” and “natural” are being used in place of “uncircumcised” to reflect this global view.
Attitudes toward circumcision are changing. Results of the latest studies are arousing concern about this often misunderstood procedure. To learn more you can visit www.circumcision.org

Those first few months at home with your newborn can be scary, isolating, and lonely. It’s vital that new moms venture out of the house and join other mothers in a similar stage of parenting in order to reassure herself that her feelings are normal and that she’s not the only woman on earth going through what she or her new baby happen to be experiencing. Having a good support system can simply be invaluable to you especially, if you are a stay-at-home mother. As baby ages, moms find support groups taking on a double role of “play group” for their little one. For baby, time out together is important for learning social skills and even at this tender age making friends.

 

 

 

As a mother, we are all looking for different things in a support system. Some women join to educate themselves on topics about parenting, others are looking for play groups where their children can play, and others are just looking for like-minded, nonjudgmental mothers to talk to. It’s an essential opportunity to confide in each other, share ideas, vent frustrations and seek reassurance about baby’s growth, behavior, and development. For many women their mom support group is literally their lifeline and main source of friendship.

 

 

 

Support Group Resources our Moms Enjoy

 

 

Mom-to-Mom @ the Cincinnati Family Enrichment Center

 

 

 

 

 

 

TummyTub for baby’s birth bath in the hospital: www.childbirtheducation.blogspot.com -labor & birth