New Parents
Over the past 6 months or so, a number of acquaintances/friends/co-workers became new parents. Eight people, with 9 sons (1 set of twins) come to mind. It's crazy how they were ALL boys! Unless he's gay, who is Brendan gonna date?
Anyhow, I've talked with or visited some of these new parents and it's interesting to see how they are doing. Some appear to have little/no problems, while others are really struggling. The lucky ones are able to breastfeed and manage their sleep schedules (or don't need sleep). The not-so-lucky ones appear to be quite stressed out - especially if their kid isn't feeding properly. Being stressed out leads to the entire family sleeping poorly, and the cycle repeats itself. Having a good support network, whether it's your partner, your friends and/or family, is also a tremendous benefit.
Thinking back, I think Brendan had trouble breastfeeding, but at least he slept reasonably well. We also had a lot of help from our parents.
For those of you in the lucky category, count your blessings!
Anyhow, I've talked with or visited some of these new parents and it's interesting to see how they are doing. Some appear to have little/no problems, while others are really struggling. The lucky ones are able to breastfeed and manage their sleep schedules (or don't need sleep). The not-so-lucky ones appear to be quite stressed out - especially if their kid isn't feeding properly. Being stressed out leads to the entire family sleeping poorly, and the cycle repeats itself. Having a good support network, whether it's your partner, your friends and/or family, is also a tremendous benefit.
Thinking back, I think Brendan had trouble breastfeeding, but at least he slept reasonably well. We also had a lot of help from our parents.
For those of you in the lucky category, count your blessings!