Our philosophy about Pregnancy Childbirth and the First Year
0 commentsOur philosophy about Pregnancy, Childbirth and the First Year: pregnancy before during and postpartum: Life will never be the same as you new it. You can’t go back. Parenthood is permanent. Once a child is born parents can not just trade their child in for a new model, the way someone might return an object to a store once something better was found. Children are permanent.
Pregnancy, unlike parenthood, impacts men and women differently. The impact of pregnancy is different for each gender because of their biological roles. While many couples now describe themselves as pregnant, only women undergo the physical changes brought about by carrying a child. For example, during the 9 months, only women experience morning sickness, mood swings, exhaustion, weight gain and labor. Thus, regardless of how helpful the partner is (e.g. changing the cat litter, cooking meals, massaging the woman's aching back, etc) at best, they are bystanders, trying to shift some of the burden of pregnancy onto themselves.
As a result of the different biological roles, men and women typically have different questions and concerns. This is normal, not only because men's and women's experiences of pregnancy is different, but so are their needs.
Please note, that while pregnancy has a very different literal impact on each person, the range of emotions that each person is experiencing is more similar than dissimilar. Most people feel some mixture of fear, joy, and excitement. Everything in each of their lives is about to change.
Similar to pregnancy, mothers who breastfeed have a very different relationship with their children than parents who bottle feed. One is not inherently better than the other, simply different. These structural differences, often raise different anxieties, concerns and issues.
After the baby is born, many women experience postpartum depression. Women's bodies have undergone a tremendous amount of change in a very short time period. Hormones are out of control - along with the woman's pre-pregnancy typical routines. Women, particularly in their first year of motherhood can benefit from a lot of extra support. Support can be provided by friends, family and professionals.
Our mission is to help parents not only adjust to their changing roles, but to develop the skills needed to feel confident in their parenting techniques. Typically, parents have the best insight into their children. Our goal is to help you learn to trust your gut instincts, and develop the skill set needed to become the best parent and partner that you can be.
This site is dedicated to helping men and women have all their questions about pregnancy and the first years of parenthood answered.
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