Perhaps by now your baby is sleeping for longer spurts at night and between you and your partner you have it figured out who gets up for what feeding? You can start to anticipate your baby’s clock. But rest assured, just as you are depending on that schedule something comes up to change it all!
Your baby is now on the go, scootching or crawling everywhere, and you rarely get a chance to sit down and relax. This is why we recommend you optimize your energy tank with healthy foods and being physically fit. RaisingMOM also provides in-home one on one fitness and yoga training along with various group fitness classes at Club H Fitness.
Your baby may be starting out on first foods. If you're breast feeding, you may find there are some adjustments you may need to make. If you would like more information on how to continue breast feeding your baby when he starts solids, a RaisingMOM Certified Lactation Consultant can help.
For questions about what to feed your baby, how to start, what foods to stay away from, dealing with any known allergies, RaisingMOM’s Nutritionists who are registered dieticians can help. They are also available to set your optimal food plan for you and your family. She will make a home visit to personally help you organize your kitchen and make a meal plan that the whole family can live with.
Most new moms are the last on their priority list. Baby care, holding down a job, and running a household all tend to come first. But making yourself a priority is important because if you don't, running the rest of your life is all the more difficult.
You are constantly adjusting to your new family dynamics within your our nuclear family along with your parents and in-laws. In the area of grandparents; new grandparents mean well. They really do. They just tend to mean well a little too much sometimes.
Try not to react too defensively or judgmentally if your parents or in-laws criticize your parenting style, dispense unwanted advice, or otherwise try to influence your choices for raising your baby. They may have more years of parenting experience than you do, but you and only you are the parent of this particular child, a fact you can (and may need to) gently remind them of.
If you have yet to hire a babysitter or spend much time away from your baby, you're not alone. That said, there are good reasons to get away from your baby every once in a while — if not for your sake, then for his. Short separations help him adjust to other people and become more socialized — and may even help him against full-blown separation anxiety before it hits.
If you haven’t already, make a specific plan to spend more time with your spouse or partner. Many new parents report that after the novelty of life with a baby wears off, they find they've drifted away from their partner and lost the closeness they once felt. If you find yourselves in this position, try to figure out what you miss most about being together and make reclaiming those experiences a priority.
Start exercising. Not only can this help weight concerns, this can specifically address some post natal issues that can speed up your body into getting and looking in shape. Exercises that focus on your pelvic floor, abdomen and posture can also lead to a longer leaner you. And let’s talk about energy, what mom couldn’t need more of that caring for a baby? Remember to start slowly, you may have taken a break towards the end of your pregnancy or are new to exercise, so your exercise program should be guided by a specialist qualified to work with post pregnant women. RaisingMOM provides in-home one on one fitness and yoga training along with various group fitness classes at Club H Fitness.
Get ready to celebrate your baby’s first birthday! Believe it or not, your baby is one already and you survived and thrived the first year with your baby – well done mom!
