The long road to parenthood doesn’t stop at Labor and Delivery. Many Long Island women struggle at the burdens of societal expectations placed on new mothers when they are at their most vulnerable. Breast or formula, post-baby bodies, and post-partum complications physical and emotional can turn what should be a bonding time for mother and baby into a traumatic experience. Make it easier on yourself and your baby, follow your instincts, and let your inner Mama Bear out to roar.
Eat. Sleep. Feed the Baby.
Even the New York Times is getting on the Fourth Trimester bandwagon. The demands of caring for a brand new human being while recovering from giving birth are not popularly addressed other than by tabloids blaring lurid headlines about how quickly a celeb could get back into her bikini after childbirth. Instead of societal or familial expectations, mothers need to focus on themselves and the new life that they are nurturing. While some cultures practice confinement for the fourth trimester, there are a wealth of ways to care for yourself including a post-partum doula, a night nanny, or even therapy.
And Beyond
It’s important to plan ahead for the milestones of baby’s first year. Including their first foods. Fresh baby food delivery on Long Island will help to remove a big concern from a new mother’s extensive to-do list. Fresh baby food is best, having no preservatives or fillers, and is straight nutrition that baby as they progress from nursing to weaning. Discovering tastes and textures is a big step that will help to shape good food habits in the future. Starting them out from six months forward is recommended by most pediatricians, but let your baby lead the way – some are ready before six months and some after. You and baby are a team, so treat yourself and your baby right.
