Glamma Doula Postpartum Doula

Too funny! But unfortunately true.

A beautiful reminder.

This made me cry When you first have children they talk about the challenges of parenting....the struggles of a baby waking in the night, the toddler who wo...n’t stay in their bed, the cost of childcare, injuries from sports... Having to take off work to pick them up from school when they don’t feel well, helping them with homework, a messy house, the never ending laundry, the cost to buy school clothes, packing their lunches.... You watch their eyes light up on Christmas morning....and try to soak in the magic of those moments. You coach them in sports, rushing to practices and ballgames...and tote them all over the country to let them play the game they love...no matter how exhausting or expensive it becomes. Life is just so busy that you rarely even stop to think what the end of those days look like. In fact, it’s not really even something you can wrap your mind around. You go into it thinking that 18-20 years sounds like a long time.... Then suddenly hours turn into days...days into months...and months into years. That little person that used to crawl up next to you in bed and cuddle up to watch cartoons...suddenly becomes this young adult who hugs you in the hallway as they come and go. And the chaos and laughter that used to echo throughout your home....gets filled with silence and solitude. You’ve learned how to parent a child who needs you to care for and protect them....but have no clue how the whole letting go thing is supposed to work. So you hold on as tight as you can...wondering how time passed so quickly...feeling guilty that you missed something.... Because even though you had 20 years.....it just somehow doesn’t seem like it was enough. You ask yourself so many questions... Did you teach them the right lessons? Did you read them enough books as a child? Spend enough time playing with them? How many school parties did you have to miss? Do they really know how much you love them? What could I have done better as a parent? .....When it’s time for them to go, it all hits you like a ton of bricks. Parenting is by far the most amazing experience of your life....that at times leaves you exhilarated....while others leave you heartbroken. But one thing is certain.....it’s never enough time... So for all the parents with young children...whose days are spent trying to figure out how to make it through the madness... Exhausted day in and day out... Soak. It. All. In. Because one day....all those crazy days full of cartoons, snuggles, sleep overs, Christmas morning magic, ballgames, practices and late night dinners... All come to an end. And you’re left hoping that you did enough right, so that when they spread their wings.... They’ll fly... Credit to the Amazing Author: @MistyBrewerLee

What to say instead of saying "you're so smart."

As a mom of 2 boys, this is so true!

If your toddler hits, don't think you've failed at parenting. There’s nothing bad about your child. Whenever a toddler hits, there are unseen forces at work. Em...otional forces. Although your toddler may have a poker face, or might even be laughing as they hit, the aggression is being driven by emotion. When your toddler hits they don’t need punishment; in fact, punishment and time out can easily make it more likely that they will hit in the future. (You can read more about what causes toddlers to hit in the first place, in our post "When Your Toddler Hits You: A New Perspective, at www.handinhandparenting.org - there's a link in our bio). We do know that If you respond with harshness when your toddler hits, the hitting behavior will persist because when we react with upset they internalize our upset. Instead, offer a gentle, attentive barrier. As they try to strike, just keep the hit from landing, and say gently, I can’t let you do that. If you’re quiet and calm, and you’ve gently prevented your child from hitting, the feelings that drive the hitting will bubble up. They’ll feel intensely uncomfortable. They’ll begin to cry, or sweat, or tremble, or fall down in a tantrum. This, we know, is an odd perspective, but it’s one that makes all the difference: you want their feelings to tumble out in a great big emotional wave. You want all that negative energy out of them, not hiding in the corners of their mind waiting to cause trouble. They are expelling bad feelingsfear, in particularusing your calm presence as their signal that they are free to let go of the feelings that have infected their behavior. Maybe you didn't get there to block the first strike. Again, stay calm, and keep each child involved safe. Here are some of the things you can say, gently, interspersed with long intervals of simple supportive listening, when your toddler hits. Just talk a bit now and then, to let them know you see how hard they are working to get their fears out of their system. Your aim is a ratio of about 80% listening and 20% talking.

Never thought of this myself

Save the tops from your baby wipes pkgs and glue to a piece of cardboard to create a family photo book for your baby or toddler!

On today’s podcast, we talk with L&D nurse, Ann Marie Gilligan, about perinatal positioning during labor. Ann is a labor and delivery nurse in Minnesota, who is... trained in high-risk obstetrics and advanced fetal monitoring, certified through Waterbirth International and also, certified as a sexual assault nurse examiner. Ann has 30 years of labor and delivery experience, ranging from the start-up team for an independent birth center to working at a level three high-risk labor and delivery unit to working as a legal nurse consultant and prenatal yoga instructor. Ann has extensive experience caring for families who want an unmedicated birth as well as caring for people with high-risk conditions, such as pre-eclampsia, uncontrolled diabetes, postpartum hemorrhage, and sepsis. Ann has also traveled to Bolivia and Tanzania, where she taught high-risk obstetrics and maternal positioning for optimal fetal positioning. More recently, Ann became an Evidence Based Birth Instructor in 2020 and is a Spinning Babies Aware Practitioner. We talk about maternal positioning and its effect on fetal positioning during labor. We also talk about Ann’s vast experience as an L&D nurse and her web-based resource, ’ (www.gilligansguide.com), where Ann teaches physicians, nurses, and families the importance of infant positioning for birth. Listen now to the Evidence Based Birth Podcast: EBB 165 - Perinatal Positioning During Labor with L&D Nurse, Ann Gilligan evidencebasedbirth.com/podcast evidencebasedbirth.com/165 ___ #evidencebasedbirth #ebbirth #evidence #podcast #gilligansguide #maternalpositioning #fetalpositioning #birth

Very important parenting advice.

In yesterday's Mama Village group when we talked about sleep, we touched briefly on the tricky issue of some babies not being happy in baby carriers/slings. I s...uggested to a mum that she could try using the carrier EVERY day, to familiarise her baby with it, but also, it could be that her baby just isn't comfortable in the particular carriers she has. We talked further about ensuring that the carriers are fitted correctly (and sometimes a babywearing consultant is worth every cent!), before giving up on the idea. Here's a great infographic from Brooke Maree- Babywearing Education & Online Store about the reasons why it can happen. #mothersgroups #attachmentparenting #babies #toddlers #support #village #mothersvillage #babywearing #sleep #socialworker

14 Things Children Need More of...

#tummytime contributes significantly to baby’s developmental repertoire. Early experiences influence later experiences, so let’s give baby all the opportunities for tummy time ! #tummytimemethod

#tummytime #tummytimemethod #ventralsurfaceweightbearing #prone

#freethebabies Get on board with us to bring adequate amounts of tummy time and freedom of movement. We are bringing the truth forward as it relates to what b...abies and families really need to have optimal health and wellness. Our culture has many convinced that using containers and seats is good for babies, when clearly the research and professional experience say the opposite. Over swaddling, as well as reducing movement, all have a detrimental impact on development. These lead to a sedentary lifestyle and reduce health overall. FREE THE BABIES! #tummytime #tummytimemethod #ventralsurfaceweightbearing