Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Welcome New Moms!

It’s been a long time since our new moms groups have ended. I am sure that things have really changed for all of us as we adjust to our new lives as “moms.” I was thinking about my new identity as a “mom” the other night and how my day-to-day routine has changed. For the first couple months, my job as a new mother was to make sure that my baby’s basic needs were met – if he was hungry, I fed him; if he was tired, I rocked him to sleep; if he was wet, I changed his diaper…and so on. I don’t know about you, but life with my baby is much more enjoyable now that he is a little older and a lot more interactive. But while I may be able to change a diaper with my eyes closed and recite nursery rhymes in my sleep, I have a ton of new questions about motherhood and babyhood. If nothing else, the reality (and permanence) of being a mom is really sinking in.

So, after spending some time thinking about the reality (and permanence) of being a mom, I decided to embark on a new project…a group for semi-new moms. Since some of us have returned to work (or will be returning soon), I thought it would be best if the group were an online forum. This format will allow you to participate whenever you have time whether it be from your desk at work or from home while your baby is sleeping. Of course, you can also use the forum to post an invitation for a real-life outing for other moms. The idea is that we stay in touch, even if it is virtually.

Here are some issues that may be interesting to explore/discuss in the semi-new moms group:
- Is your baby sleeping through the night? If so, how did you do it?
- Are you still breastfeeding? If so, when do you plan to start weaning?
- Have you introduced solids yet?
- Have solids made your baby constipated? If so, what are you doing about it?
- Is your hair falling out?
- Are you using contraception?
- What about the pill and breastfeeding?
- What are you doing for Halloween?
- Rating the mom and baby classes around town (e.g., yoga, gymboree, new mothers luncheons, Kidville, etc.)
- …you get the point…

And since we live in the “Big City,” I thought that it would be appropriate to title this forum “Moms in the City.” If you are interested in participating in the group, then start posting!

Also, if you are both a semi-new mom and an expectant mother (or know of an expectant mother), make sure to send your partner to www.thefunkystork.com In case you haven't heard, www.thefunkystork.com is a website dedicated entirely to the modern expectant father. It has plenty of articles on pregnancy as well as lots of information for new dads.