These are two topics that are so often confused. So let's define the difference, secure attachment is the process of babies and children emotionally attaching themselves to the consistent caregivers and adults in their lives. This is a crucial element of human development. And as parents and caregivers it is crucial for us to get it Right (babies and children will attach to adults regardless if the adult is worthy or not). This means responding to our babies and children's needs, providing them with loving reassurance. This allows children to grow and explore the world as nature intended, knowing that the adults in their lives are trustworthy and ready to meet their emotional needs when they have setbacks. This is why we know you can't hold your baby too much, a newborn baby cannot be spoiled and as exhausting as it may be, we need to lovingly respond to their cries.
Attachment Parenting takes the notion of secure attachment and doubles down. The main difference being, attachment parenting is a specific style of parenting, commonly known for baby wearing, exclusively breastfeeding, and often bed-sharing so breastfed babies have easy access to feeding at any time. Most modern parents use some, sometimes all aspects of attachment style parenting. The goal being, developing secure attachment with your baby. However, secure attachment does not require attachment parenting. You can ensure you and your child are securely attached with or without a sling (although slings are amazing!) Love your baby, respond to their needs and choose the parenting style that works best for your family, secure attachment sets your child up for success and is a parenting win. It's summer, and with it warm days. Infants are learning to regulate their body temperatures, but we need to be very careful when exposing babies to heat. Baby-wearing is a great option and babies love the close contact with their parents. There are some important guidelines to follow to ensure safe use. An easy acronym for baby-wearing is SAFE.
S- Secure, ensure that baby is securely attached to the wearers torso, they should not be bouncing excessively. A- Airways, ensure baby's face to is not facing in, to the side as the photo demonstrates will prevent breathing difficulty. F- Firm, the baby and carrier should firmly hold the baby in place snugly against the wearers torso. E- Eye-line, ensure that you have direct eye-line to your baby so you can see their face and check often! Another important thing to know is, if you cover your babies head, stroller, or car seat with a blanket, you risk them becoming overheated. Hot weather has been shown to raise the temperature underneath those blankets (even with breathable fibres). So get out and enjoy the warm weather while it lasts, just be safe and take extra precautions with baby! Speaking with a new mother I am always reminded of the intensity of how being a new parent feels. It is intense, there are so many mixed emotions and thoughts. Such as, "I think they made a mistake letting us bring her home!" It is easy when your child or children are a little older and you look back on those early days with nostalgia and perhaps a bit of rose coloured glasses.
While babies have plenty of hand books, reading about caring for your baby and actually being responsible for this tiny human 24/7 is quite different. Hindsight truly is 20/20, you are unfortunately unable to tell your past self to take a breath, you will figure it all out. But you will, we all do. And at some point in the not too distant future, you will also look back on those intense days and they will seem less intense. You will be able to pass on what you have learned about parenting from a place of confidence. Let me set the scene, you are bringing your newborn to a gathering of family/friends, or maybe you are hosting the gathering. At any rate, most of the people in attendance have not met your baby. But they are all here, waiting....probably not very patiently to see and hold your new little one. Dying to deeply inhale the scent of new baby :) For some new parents this a nightmare situation, for others not as much.
If you are the mother, or parent who finds this situation stressful, you have the right to say no!!! I know it's difficult, especially with family, they are so excited and want to be a part of your baby's life. But even the most well intended family member or friend can stress mama and/or baby out. Even newborns, sleepy as they are get over-stimulated. Their sleep cycles are short and being passed around like a hot potato can easy disrupt that cycle, making one touched-out, irritated and over tired infant. If you feel that you or your infant cannot tolerate being handled by several people, you can politely decline this receiving line. Welcome everyone to approach and meet the baby while in your arms. Or invite people over in small groups. It's also okay to ask loved ones to wash their hands, babies are very vulnerable to germs as their immune systems are adjusting to life on the outside. Your only job is to be polite when advocating your or your baby's needs. If people are briefly offended, don't worry, they will most likely write your requests off as postpartum hormones!!! The question I am often asked is, what is a Postpartum Doula? What do you do? Doula has become a more known word in the mainstream. But most often, Birth Doulas are what people are most familiar with. The benefits of Birth Doulas are becoming more recognized and rightfully so. Postpartum Doulas are as beneficial to new parents as a Birth Doula is to your birth outcome and experience.
Part of the lack of understanding is that sometimes what we do is difficult to define, the vague terms of physical, emotional and informational supports. But distilled, what does this mean exactly??? It means knowledge of birth recovery (both vaginal & cesarean) and being able to help you recover. Assisting you with comfort measures and making sure you have the things you need to aid in that recovery, i.e. nutrition, rest and help with household tasks so you have time to bond with your baby. We have knowledge to help you care for your baby, warning signs, knowledge of maternal/paternal mental health concerns and are ready to help direct you to services in the community. We are able to help with infant care and are armed with lots of tips, tricks and are wanting to help you gain confidence and skills in your new role. We do not do enough to support new families, we live further away from families than ever before, we have less support systems than ever before. Postpartum Doulas aren't family, but they can bridge the support gap, helping new parents gain skills and confidence as they transition into their new roles! Postpartum Doulas I believe will become as mainstream as Birth Doulas, both support roles are so beneficial to the families we support, help spread the word:) I bet you thought the F word in this post was going to be formula, nope, it's feeding. Believe me that alone is enough of a trigger word. There is nothing that I have personally encountered this is a more polarizing subject for mothers than how you feed your baby.
There is not enough space to launch into breast-feeding's science, too small trials, non-sibling variables, not accounting for socioeconomic status, discounting crucial variables such as maternal IQ, maternal prenatal and postnatal care etc. Or enough space to discuss how breastfeeding has evolved as a moral imperative. Or conversely to discuss the past shady practices of formula companies that gave them their demonized status. What I want to say is, let's call a truce! Let's recognize that mom's are doing their best. If you choose to breastfeed, awesome, anywhere, anytime ladies, feed your babies. As a Postpartum Doula, I am trained and excited to help assist and support you. If you are bottle feeding out of need or choice, cool, whip your bottles out without shame. As a Postpartum Doula, I have lots of great information on safe practices when formula feeding. Making a specific feeding choice doesn't make you a better mother, it just means a particular method has been successful for you and your baby. Be kind, we always have far more in common than not. The following are two great feeding resources. www.kellymom.com www.fedisbest.org When we think of maternal mental health, we automatically think Postpartum Depression, and yes it is the most common type of postpartum mental health disorders. But would it surprise you to know there is a whole spectrum of disorders. They include the Baby Blues and Postpartum Stress Syndrome. Both tend to pass quickly and don't require intervention. The rest of the spectrum includes; Anxiety and Panic Disorder, Postpartum Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Postpartum Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Postpartum Depression and the least common Postpartum Psychosis. All of the later aspects of the spectrum tend to respond well to a combination of medication and talk therapy. Postpartum Psychosis will require serious swift intervention.
It is important to know if you are at risk. Talk with your partner and family members before giving birth, know the warning signs, make sure the people around you can identify the signs if you are displaying them, as you may not be thinking your clearest. Approximately 15-20% of women will find themselves on this spectrum in the weeks and months after giving birth. I was part of the 15%. I am not embarrassed, I did not cause my Postpartum Depression, it was not my choice to cry more than my baby. NO WOMAN causes a Postpartum Mental Health Disorder, it happens to you. The causes are complex. You don't have to figure out the why, you do have to be honest with the people around you and to yourself. Be brave, get help, it is not your fault. With treatment you can and will get better. You and your family can THRIVE:) Sunday is the designated day to celebrate mothers....and boy do we need to be to be celebrated!!! Lets take a moment from our curated social media pages for a moment and discuss just how hard being a mother is. Granted being a parent is hard, being a mother is really hard.
Does your partner know your kid(s) shoes size? When was the last dentist appointment or eye exam that they scheduled. Who calls the teacher? Bakes the gluten-free, peanut-free cupcakes for daycare? If your lucky, you are partnered ( or are doing it all without one) with someone who participates in these tasks, but most women are not. Equality has come a long way, but realistically, we have not come far enough yet. Working mothers today spend more time with their children than a 1960's stay at home mom. That's a mountain of expectation. I was tired just reading that statistic. So I hope on this Mothers Day we can all be kind to each other, in the knowledge that we are doing our best, doing more than ever before. We do it because our children are our hearts. So I hope you get all the love you deserve this Sunday, relax and enjoy! Let's talk self care....why not everyone else is. Those are two words that come up on every feed, in many current articles and on television shows. But what does that really mean and translate to for new parents, particularly primary caregivers? Lots of people associate self care with a massage or spa day, but I think we very much need to widen the lens and see the larger picture.
New parents (actually all parents) need to take care of themselves, because unfortunately the cliche is true, you cannot pour from an empty cup. If you are doing the lions share of the childcare, it is essential to put yourself on the list, I know the list is LONG, so terribly long! Self care does not have to be expensive. You can participate with or without a partner, or without the resources/childcare for a massage or spa day. Take a hot bath when your child goes to bed, or read a book that you have been wanting to read, a glass of wine and mini binge-watch or perhaps chat on the phone with a friend. Whatever you find relaxing that you can build into your day. Do it with intention and regularity (my fix is a hot bath from the far bathroom because you can almost hear nothing when the fan is on :) that way you are pouring from a partially filled cup at least. April is c-section awareness month. This was my daughter's birth on June 7, 2011. It was to say the least, NOT what I had in mind!
Cesarean rates are on the rise in Canada, despite the declining birth rate. In 1995 the birth rate of all births by cesarean was 17%, in 2010 that rate was 27%. There are truly legitimate, life-saving reasons to require a cesarean. But we tend as a society to forget that it is major abdominal surgery, cutting through seven, yes seven layers to get to the uterus and your baby. Recovery is often longer, more restrictive and frequently more complicated than a vaginal delivery. I guess my point in this post is to be informed, my cesarean might have been avoided by knowing more about my options and knowing that I could advocate for myself, but maybe I would have ended up on that table regardless. If you truly need a cesarean, then we are blessed to have the option to have safe, healthy deliveries of our babies. Having the photos as proof is just gravy. |
Archives
June 2023
|