To sleep...perchance to dream....

The theme for this month is Night-time Parenting!

* Storytime is back: reading "The Biggest Bed in the World"
* Check out the Grubby Mummy link on normal sleep.
* Safe co-sleeping guidelines with James McKenna.
* Realistic ways of coping with sleep deprivation (ABA).
* Including preparing for the 'fourth trimester' in your Birth Mapping.
* First-time parenting: minimising the shock!

STORYTIME: THE BIGGEST BED IN THE WORLD

Normal Infant Sleep Behaviour with Grubby Mummy

Read Grubby Mummy's Post

Breastfeeding and Cosleeping with James McKenna

Go to James McKenna's website

The ABA addresses coping with broken sleep

Go to ABA article

The Fourth Trimester
Too many women are expected to be 'back to normal' within weeks (or days!) of birthing.  The truth is you won't 'go back'.  

When we are pregnant we undergo a transformation, we become a Mother.  Your body will change, your brain may even change, your focus will change.  When this change is ignored or dismissed, we are at increased risk of PND.  When we must fight our instinct to suit the convenience of society, or struggle unsupported through this transition, our confidence takes a hit.  We may feel pressure to return to work, return to our 'pre-baby body' or suddenly become suzy-homemaker (regardless of your pre-baby domestic skills).  Many women feel the weight of judgement and expectation that does not align with reality.

Acknowledging the importance of the Fourth Trimester and preparing for it, is an essential element of Informed Birth Preparation.  Part of this transition is the Establishment of breastfeeding.  It takes time to learn this new skill and it is very normal for breastfeeding to be a constant activity during the first 12 weeks.

Until Next Month...

Yours in Informed Birth Preparation

Minimising the Shock!
Preparing for the Fourth Trimester during pregnancy means aligning Expectation to match Reality, and setting up the Support that allows you to transition more easily.

The Fourth Trimester is considered to be the first 12 weeks, the newborn phase.  People may ask you what you need for your baby, instead of booties and tiny clothes or nursery furniture you may never use, The Gift of Love is practical and awesome.  A meals roster, or a stocked freezer, is a wonderful way to support a new family.  This allows a new mother to be well fed, rested and able to focus on establishing breastfeeding. Recovery from the pregnancy and birth, mentally and physically needs support, time and space.  Not isolation or dismissal.  ​

IN THE NEXT NEWSLETTER
Storytime: Applesauce and the Christmas Miracle
Coping with a Summer Pregnancy
Announcing 2017 Awesomeness

This pastiche was originally published here
The image above was shared on my instagram profile on November 15th