What I enjoyed about newborns: When I had my first child, I loved it! I loved everything about having a baby! I wanted to have many more! The wonder of birth almost overwhelmed me! Seeing my little girl for the first time, the beauty, the delicate dependency, the feeling I had of being a co-creator was amazing!
What I learned from new borns: I gave birth to my first child in the hospital close to my college campus in Utah in 1985. I didn’t have any experience with children. I didn’t babysit newborns growing up, I didn’t have any younger siblings or cousins, I never had any real experience with babies. I read everything that I could find during the 9 months of pregnancy. I took all the classes that the hospital offered, read all the books they suggested, and I felt prepared. When I was preparing for discharge from the hospital, the nurses went over all of the information one more time, how to change diapers, breast feed, who to call with questions or in case of emergencies, and I was off. When my husband and I got home with our bundle of the baby, I immediately called my mom. I was so excited! I told her we had arrived to our home with our new baby! I told her about the quick delivery, and how great we were both doing. Then I sincerely asked my first question, “Mom, now what do I do with the baby?” I could hear the smile on her face when my mom answered, “If she’s hungry you feed her, if she’s wet you change her diaper, if she’s tired you put her to bed.” “But mom,” I asked again, “what do I do with her?”
Action: Read, Ask, Listen, Practice
Read: We are living in the “Information Age”. We have not only books and magazines, radio and television, but now the internet is here to teach us! There is so much knowledge available to us, right in front of us! Now instead of not having enough information, we have to selectively choose how we will spend time with this information!! New addictions, “of the millennium” they are called are another opportunity to develop self control. Many people love to chat online, or they’re gamers, but we need to limit our time away from the important people in our lives! We need to identify goals, and set limits for ourselves. (I feel another blog-post coming on!)
I recommend getting involved with parenting groups. An easy access to information: Find websites that you enjoy, really learn all there is to know about the growth of your baby. My daughters are members of BabyCenter.com They signed up for free and tracked the growth of their baby from the time of conception! Both my daughters and sons-in-law were excited to read the progress each week. They were able to read lots of information from reliable sources about the progress of the child and all of this information helped them feel prepared to deliver!
Ask: your parents or the other positive parents in your life for information.
Listen: to what is going on around you~ watch and pay attention to what other successful (and unsuccessful) people are doing. And tell them when you appreciate their example! Parents are grateful when you complement them on their parenting, no matter where they are! It’s amazing how it will help a parent in a grocery store line, as the child begs for candy, and you see Mom standing firm and not giving in, if you to simply smile and say something like, “Good Job! Stay strong, mom!” Or if the child is really obnoxious and you can see mom vacillating, simply make eye contact and say, “I hate it when that happens!”
Practice: the good that you have learned. As you learn about the importance of staying calm and talking to your baby in a kind voice even before the baby is born, do it!
August 3rd, 2010 at 12:44 pm
I haven’t had a child of my own yet, but I’ve had several friends and family members having children left, right and center it seems! Newborns are the most amazing things ever, and it’s such a privilege to be able to watch them grow and learn. I remember my cousin mentioning that it’s easy to adapt to what your baby needs and finding ways to spend time with them (even if they aren’t physically capable of doing much).
The other day I saw a man at the grocery store with his baby girl in a holster that was basically put on like a reverse book bag. She sat in the front, facing out so that she could see everything that Daddy was doing while he was trying to gather some apples into a bag that she refused to let go of. Too cute!
The tips that you’ve provided are great! Thank you for the wonderful post (and adorable photograph!)
August 3rd, 2010 at 5:26 pm
Thank you! I really did decide from early on that I would enjoy every stage of my children’s lives! Now watching my older children raise my grandchildren, the enjoyment starts all over again!
August 4th, 2010 at 6:29 am
This was so fantastic and inspiring! It’s been a while since I’ve been around a newborn but I can’t agree with you more on how magical it really is. All of the steps you suggested are great for new parents or even as a refresher for grandparents. Thank you so much for this fantastic article!
August 4th, 2010 at 1:09 pm
Thanks Alexa!
It’s fun to watch my children raise my grandchildren~ it’s a whole new phase to enjoy!!
~Linda
April 13th, 2011 at 10:54 pm
They say that the love for a grand daughter is twice as much as your own daughter or son, and it think this is true for i care a lot to my grand daughter and I could stop to worry about her all the time. I love reading this article.
Anna Leah recently posted..Original Canon CLI-8 Four Color Pack
April 15th, 2011 at 6:43 am
Anna Leah,
Thanks for reading and commenting Anna Leah! I love my children and grandchildren to the depth of my soul!
Linda
Why don’t you get a gravatar? I’ll show you how here http://lindagraceonline.com/get-the-focus-on-you/ then leave another comment and let me see!
Linda
April 15th, 2011 at 12:25 am
i agree with you Miss Anna Leah. My mother do loves my daughter so much more than she loved me when i was young, but she’s still love me though. nice blog! love to read it.
naomae recently posted..Original Canon CLI-8 Four Color Pack
April 15th, 2011 at 5:55 am
Naomae,
There is something magical about being a grandma!
Linda
p.s. Why don’t you get a gravatar? I’ll show you how here http://lindagraceonline.com/get-the-focus-on-you/ then leave another comment and let me see!
Linda
April 19th, 2011 at 6:32 pm
Nothing quite compares to having your own children around, and I guess the same is true of grandchildren. But you can certainly appreciate it more as you get older. For my now adult children I was commuting into London 4 hours a day. For my two young children by my second wife I am working at home, and am able to consciously make an effort to enjoy their growing as much as I can. What a delight they are.
April 20th, 2011 at 11:50 am
Roy,
Thank you for visiting my blog, lindagraceonline.com! I noticed you don’t have a gravatar! Connecting an image to your comment (actually to your email address) is very important! It’s simple and free! Check out this post and I’ll walk you through it! http://lindagraceonline.com/get-the-focus-on-you/
To our success,
Linda
ps. I look forward to getting to know you and networking with you!!
May 1st, 2011 at 9:30 pm
Nice post you got there. I am also a mother and I love the feeling of it. There’s no greater feeling than being a mother. When I had my first kid, I felt so contented, so complete. Thank you for sharing this article.
Regards,
Karen
May 2nd, 2011 at 5:58 pm
It’s great to hear from other mothers who agree! How old are your children? Mine are grown and almost gone (the baby is a junior – for 3 more weeks) and I have 5 grandkids!
Why don’t you get a gravatar?! Connecting an image to your comment (actually to your email address) is very important! It’s simple and free! Check out this post and I’ll walk you through it! http://lindagraceonline.com/get-the-focus-on-you/
Come back and tell me!
Linda
May 2nd, 2011 at 9:07 pm
thanks linda for the responds to my comment i appreciate it. God bless!
May 2nd, 2011 at 9:56 pm
Naomae,
Why don’t you get a Gravatar? Connecting an image to your comment (actually to your email address) is very important! It’s simple and free! Check out this post and I’ll walk you through it! http://lindagraceonline.com/get-the-focus-on-you/
May 3rd, 2011 at 5:14 am
But Naomae, why don’t you get a Gravatar?
July 3rd, 2011 at 4:31 pm
This was so fantastic and inspiring! I love this.It’s been a while since I’ve been around a newborn but I can’t agree with you more on how magical it really is. All of the steps you suggested are great for new parents or even as a refresher for grandparents. Anyway, thanks for sharing.
Kylie recently posted..A Few Of The Benefits Of Bookkeeping Services
July 3rd, 2011 at 10:18 pm
Kylie,
I love to hear from wonderful parents! You’re so right, parents and grandparents alike can benefit!
Linda
ps. Why don’t you get a Gravatar, a picture connected to your comments?! I created a post to show you how to get this simple and free account! Check this out here: http://lindagraceonline.com/get-the-focus-on-you/
November 29th, 2011 at 9:35 pm
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