Check out my latest form of new parent advice! I've created a very comprehensive guide all about self care for new moms. I've been there (times four) and I know how hard it is to maintain good mental health. That's why I've put in all of my best tips and tricks for good self care. You'll find practical ideas for self care, why it's important for your mental health, as well as other mental health help ideas such as good nutrition and physical health. I hope you'll enjoy it and that it will improve you're mental health! Thanks!
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This post is time sensitive. Some of the offers are only available for a limited time during the COVID19 pandemic of Spring 2020.
Hey there friends. I have been hearing from a lot of my friends and family that they are feeling more anxious and stressed out due to the state of the world and so I thought it might be a good idea to compile a list of resources that I think would be helpful for managing that anxiety. Some of these resources are good for the general public and some are geared specifically towards pregnant or postpartum moms (a population I deal with frequently in my business). Stay safe out there! Headspace Meditation and mindfulness tools that help support your mental health. I wanted to share my 30-Day Guest Pass with you so click on the link above. Calm - Take a Deep Breath I started using the Calm app when I had postpartum depression and anxiety. I am still on their mailing list and they sent out this superb blog article loaded with resources for managing stress and anxiety. I love their train meditations. CreativeLive - free streaming of Health & Mental Wellness content CreativeLive is an online education platform for a variety of subjects from Photography and Design to Money and Life. They very generously have decided to stream live some of their best mental wellness content for free. This content also includes a few health classes which are important to not neglect; when you strengthen your body you are also strengthening your mind! I believe this offer is time sensitive; I will update when I know its expiration. PSI - Weekly Online Support Group Postpartum Support International offers weekly online support meetings for those experiencing postpartum depression or anxiety. Sign up for a free account and learn from other moms more about Perinatal (Pregnancy & Postpartum) Mood Support. TalkSpace - Free therapy for Health Workers Time sensitive. This online therapy provider is donating "1,000 months of free online therapy to medical workers across the United States — those on the frontlines responding to the COVID-19 outbreak." They are donating a free month of their service to health workers here in the USA. They also have links to resources for the general public. Dr Jud - free and discounted resources Try out his free breathing app. Or watch his video on understanding our brains and anxiety. Have something else you think people should know about right now? Comment below! P.S. Here's an adorable photo of a cute baby hugging a giraffe that I hope will bring a smile to your face. :) Did you know April is c-section awareness month? I didn't until recently but now we both know! And now if you don't mind I'd like to take a little bit of time to talk about my own experience with c-section. Out of my three children's births (all of which were very different from each other) my last child's birth was a c-section. We lived in a small community at the time and my daughter decided she wanted to be a footling breech baby with loose nuchal cord. We tried everything to flip her (including a painful failed ECV) but she wouldn't budge (she's still very stubborn by the way!). And unfortunately we couldn't find a doctor that would attempt a trial of labor with a breech baby in our small town so we had a scheduled C-section. I was devastated but I've very fortunately been able to work through my grief of losing the type of birth I wanted and had expected. I now use my experience to offer support to other moms who might be expecting or recently have had a c-section since I know first hand what it is like. I really believe in the power of community. It was my community that helped me get through my c-section. I had lots of friends help me both emotionally and physically. I even had a friend call me from out of state out of the blue because she wanted to share her experience to help comfort me and I want to pay that forward. I was actually able to speak about my experience to a group of women at my church about a year after the birth of my daughter via c-section and I have this excerpt to share:
"I have reflected a lot on this experience (of giving birth in a way I didn't want) over the past year. I had a lot of hard emotions to deal with. It's easy to say 'it wasn't that bad, just get over it, at least it's over now, there are a lot harder things you could experience in life, at least your baby is here and healthy, it could be worse, it's not a big deal, women have c-sections all of the time now, etc. etc.' But that's not really fair to me as an individual. I feel what I feel and saying things like that hurts more than it helps. Especially if it's me saying it to myself in a conflicting inner dialogue of emotions and runaway thoughts. I had to work through my own physical and emotional pain. It was still major surgery! And while I still don't 100% understand why my third child had to be delivered via c-section (as in why did God let that happen to me?), and it still causes me pain on occasion, I have found healing. A lot of the healing has come from my faith and trust in God. Knowing that He is always watching out for me brings me great comfort even if the circumstances are not what I think are ideal. I hope by sharing all of this I can help someone to be inspired to find healing from their own pain, either from what I learned or even just from knowing that it is possible to heal." If you would like to talk to me about your experience with c-section (or any birth really, I love hearing birth stories!) I am here for you. Please share! April is a month full of awareness topics. One issue that I find especially important to me as I work with babies and small children is preventing abuse. This month is National Child Abuse Prevention month.
About a year ago I shared a post about "Purple Crying". In that post I talked about what to do when your baby is crying and won't stop. It was about managing your own emotions because sometimes babies just cry and it can be very hard to deal with. This month I would like to talk about bonding with your baby which is one of the tips from childwelfare.gov's National Child Abuse Prevention month for Strong and Thriving Families: "Here are some ways to promote bonding: • Respond when your baby cries. Try to understand what he or she is saying to you. You can’t “spoil” babies with too much attention—they need and benefit from a parent’s loving care even when they seem inconsolable. • Hold and touch your baby as much as possible. You can keep him or her close with baby slings, pouches, or backpacks (for older babies). • Use feeding, bathing, and diapering times to look into your baby’s eyes, smile, and talk to your baby. • Read, sing, and play peek-a-boo. Babies love to hear human voices and will try to imitate your voice and the sounds you make. • As your baby gets a little older, try simple games and toys. Once your baby can sit up, plan on spending lots of time on the floor with toys, puzzles, and books. • If you feel you are having trouble bonding with your infant, don’t wait to get help. Talk to your doctor or your baby’s pediatrician as soon as you can." It's Hanukkah this week and the Christmas season is already in full swing! We've already visited our annual Nativity exhibitions this week both at the Creche of Palo Alto and at A Night In Bethlehem in Santa Clara. We are also planning on visiting the Holiday Train at Oak Meadow Park in Los Gatos. We might even brave the crowds to see Christmas in the Park at Downtown San Jose this year (we'll see if the introverts in my family can handle it!). We are still new to the Bay Area so we're still learning about all of the most fun holiday events so feel free to tell me your favorite activity that your family does every year in the comments (especially celebrating Hanukkah, I have know idea where those events might be held, but I'd love to visit!!)! Anyways. On to today's topic. With all of these holiday happenings I think it's important to take photos when you can to capture the magic on your child's face so you can remember it in the years to come. Here's my top tips for taking a better photo! 1. Watch your light! The biggest photo mistake (especially with babies) I see on my Instagram and Facebook feeds happen when the child has been lit from the bottom of their face. It's called up-lighting or ghoul lighting (yikes!) and it's a big no no. The best light should come from top of the face ideally from about a 45 degree angle and either from the front or either side (the light from behind is called back-lighting and can be tricky but doable with practice). (see my... quirky... stick figure guide for what I mean) 2. Don’t ask them to smile. There's nothing more cheesy than a child that's told to say "cheese!" (pun intended!). Just let them be kids and have fun. Let them enjoy the moment. If you do want them to look at the camera (and at you!) ask them questions, sing a song or do something silly! Make it fun! Start a tickle fight. If they have siblings have them do bear hugs. And if all else fails... bribe! No punishments though, those will just inspire resentment for future photos. :( 3. Focus and expose (balance the light on the subject) on the face (eyes or mouth area). If you're using a phone camera this can sometimes be tricky but click on the screen for where you want to focus (and expose at the same time). If you're using a DSLR try shooting in Program mode and use selective focus. (I wish I had time to share more DSLR tips, but that would take a lot more time than I have now in one post!) 4. Avoid flash if you can. A camera flash can be useful for freezing moments but most flashes that are attached to the camera are too close to the lens so the flash's light is quite harsh and flat on your subject. If you need more light in your photo get creative. Use a lamp or even a flashlight pointed towards the face (light needs to be above as in the diagram indicates). Use window light (open those blinds and curtains!). Turn on all the lights! 5. Know when to put your camera down. This might sound crazy but sometimes your kids just need you to have fun with them without something between you. It's okay to let go of capturing the perfect moment. Sometimes the moment even becomes more memorable. Trust your instincts and your children's instincts to let you know when to join them instead of photographing them. Bonus tip: And the most important bonus tip this holiday season: absolutely do NOT wrap your child (or anyone!) in Christmas lights. While cute and "pinterest worthy" it is dangerous. Wires can fray. Bulbs can break. Glass + electricity = very dangerous. Add in possible baby drool and it's a recipe for disaster. Please don't do it. Just say no. |
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September 2023
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