The other day I read a question on a message from a new mother-to-be. She was only 17, about to give birth, and had no one to give her advice or help her with the baby. She was scared to death. As a seasoned mother of two and a grandmother of four, I felt compelled to I write back with a few things I learned a long time ago when I had my first child. . .
I remember when I was pregnant with my first child. I knew nothing about babies (I did have a mother and a large network of helpful friends and relatives to call on if needed, but I was determined to show them I knew what to do and could do it myself). I had been reading Dr. Spock’s book on baby and child care for months. I felt I had the ‘book knowledge’ I needed and hoped the ‘practical’ knowledge would just be there.
A few hours after giving birth, I walked to the newborn nursery and looked in the window at all the tiny babies and the nurses who were caring for them. I was fascinated by the activity, and over the next few days of my hospital stay I spent hours at the window, just watching. I took in everything that was happening behind the scenes – diapering, bathing, feeding, burping, dressing. I noticed how relaxed the nurses were while handling the screaming, wiggly, tiny babies. They handled them like they wouldn’t break. I was amazed at how they did everything so casually. It gave me confidence that I could care for my baby just as well as they were.
Here are a few of the things I remember thinking:
These three things got me through the days and nights of early parenthood. My Dr. Spock book stayed close to me and I consulted it often and looked up many, many things that first year. My baby thrived and grew and I became smarter and smarter and soon I felt I’d become an ‘expert’ at motherhood. Believe it or not, you will too!
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