Baby and Parenting

PREPARING

Pregnancy is an exciting time for you both, but your excitement can also be tinged with apprehension, uncertainty, and – if the pregnancy is a surprise – even dismay. Each person’s reaction to the knowledge that he or she is going to become a parent is different, but luckily nature has made sure that there is plenty of time to get used to the idea during the 40+ weeks from conception to birth. Pregnancy is not an illness, but it does put a lot of strain on a woman’s body. So if you’re planning to become parents it makes sense to think abut fitness well before you conceive and to look after yourself during the pregnancy. Once the pregnancy is confirmed you will both feel happier if you follow its progress by attending antenatal checks and finding out as much as possible about how your baby develops in the womb. It will help you both to understand the minor discomforts and emotional ups and downs that a pregnant woman sometimes feels, and to face up to the slight possibility of something unexpected happening.


YOUR NEW BABY – YOUR NEW LIFE

The birth of your first baby s one of the most amazing moments of your whole life. It’s the sort of event that parents remember in minute detail years later, even when other memories have faded. Although no birth experience is exactly the same, your first is special simply because you have never done it before. But just because you can’t predict exactly what it will feel like either physically or emotionally, doesn’t mean that you can’t be prepared for most eventualities. Knowing how a normal labour progresses, what your pain relief options are, and what can be done if things don’t go according to plan, means that together you ca approach labour and birth positively. The importance of how you experience the birth and the first few precious moments you spend together with your baby cannot be overestimated.

At this time, the bonds of interdependence and love begin to form and tie you together as a family. Don’t be perturbed if it doesn’t happen immediately. Rest assured the bonds will strengthen gradually as your body recovers and your confidence builds during the first few days after the birth.

PARENTHOOD

When you decide to have a baby, you’re also making the decision to become a parent. This is probably the most important step you’ll ever take in your life, because bringing a child into the world isn’t something that you can simply add to your current lifestyle. You’re creating a completely new person, and taking on a responsibility that is lifelong. You’re also creating a new unit – from being 2 individuals, you’re becoming a family – something that both cements and outs strains on your existing relationships with each other, your friends, and your family.

This is equally true if you’re a lone parent and, even if you have children from a previous relationship, your new baby is going to create a new family grouping. So it’s well worth looking at all the implications of parenthood and the different forms that the modern family takes, and to ask yourselves some searching questionss about how you see parenting and how it’s going to affect your everyday needs and your emotions.