We talked this week at Pregnancy Yoga about having a think about what you'll do when the baby gets here. So much of antenatal care focuses on pregnancy and birth and leaves you with not much guidance on how to look after a baby. It's well worth taking some time to read before the baby arrives.
First of all, there's a need for practical advice:
How to feed (breastfeeding is a learned skill, you may benefit from local drop in classes)
how to wind a baby (try lots of techniques til you find the one that works for you baby
how to settle a baby (I liked Dr Harvey Karp) and get them to sleep
You can also think about:
- what kind of parent do I want to be?
- what kind of life do we want to lead?
- when do babies learn to eat / walk / smile / talk?
I recommend going to a local library Surrey Libraries UK and borrowing several books from the parenting department. The titles below I found interesting, but I didn't connect with all of them. You'll need to find an author who speaks to you.
Image of six books I recommend looking at, including : 1) The womanly art of breastfeeding 2) the book you wish your parents had read and your children will be glad you did 3) the new contented little baby book 4) What to expect in the first year 5) the wonder weeks 6) the secrets of the baby whisperer
Which parenting / baby book have you enjoyed reading? And why? Are you a follower of attachment parenting? Or is routine the way for you?