As we observe Child Abuse Prevention Month during April, we acknowledge and strengthen our commitment to creating strong communities of support for our military children and families by reminding parents of the resources available to help them with the important job of maintaining a safe environment for their children. As a child abuse pediatrician, I am too often asked to review a case that involves an infant who died in an unsafe sleep environment, tragic cases that could have been prevented. As we conclude our safe sleep campaign this month, I’d like to briefly review the keys to safe infant sleep to help you feel prepared to keep your baby safe. As questions arise over the course of your parenting journey, I encourage you to revisit this information and use your military support system for more guidance. Continue reading »
Over the course of this blog series, bloggers have shared a wealth of information about safe sleep environments and practices. We hope that this information has been helpful to you as you bring baby home and begin your parenting journey!
One aspect that we haven’t yet covered is ensuring your infant is sleeping safely while in the care of others. Although you may not want to think about being apart from your baby, at some point, you will probably need to ask a family member, babysitter or child care provider to care for your infant, especially if you plan to return to work. Continue reading »
I have been a Labor and Delivery nurse for 30 years. During this time, I’ve watched mothers and their families as they experience the great joy of a new baby and helped them as they prepare to take their new baby home. New parents are bombarded with advice from many different people. As a nurse, I understand how many questions and worries you may have as a new parent, especially around topics such as infant sleep and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome – more commonly known as SIDS. Earlier bloggers have described how you can create a safe sleep environment for your infant. As you follow these guidelines, you may be concerned about your baby’s warmth while sleeping or whether immunizations increase your baby’s risk for SIDS. This post will tackle some of the frequent questions related to infant sleep. Continue reading »
All parents experience fatigue and frustration from time to time. Military families face additional stressors given some of the unique demands of the military lifestyle. If your spouse or partner is deployed – or getting ready to deploy – you may feel worried about many things, including basic safety and how you will manage everything while he or she is gone. If you have a new baby, it may be pretty scary to imagine parenting on your own. Caring for a new baby is difficult even while your spouse or partner is home, and it’s only normal that loneliness, self-doubt or disconnection from your child can creep in as you juggle life as a single parent. There may even be times during deployment when you feel like you are at your ‘wit’s end.’ When my husband was deployed to Iraq in 2005, I was raising our two year-old son alone, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer; I worked full-time; and I was finishing up my dissertation – all at the same time. I was so stressed and overwhelmed with so many emotions, I found myself crying while on my hour-long commute to work wondering, “Why me – when will he be home?” Continue reading »
When asked to write a blog about creating and maintaining a safe sleep environment for an infant while relocating, I didn’t immediately go to my professional mindset but to my own personal memories. As an active duty military spouse of 27 years, I’ve experienced the military PCS – ‘permanent change of station’ – moves with our daughter from diaper bags to book bags!
Congratulations on your new baby! This is an exciting and busy time for you and the rest of your family as you get ready to welcome your little one. Preparing to bring your new baby home is a big job! There’s the nursery to prepare; diapers, clothes and other supplies to have ready; learning about newborn care for first-time parents; concern about older siblings’ adjustment to the new family member for parents with more than one child – the list goes on and on!
Just last weekend, I was watching a new mom proudly introduce her newborn to her friends and family. There were smiles and “oohs” and “aahs” all over the place as each family member peered into the baby carrier where little Lydia lay sleeping, all snug and warm. I noticed the mom gently lift her baby out of the seat with great care given to supporting her neck while positioning her for feeding. An expecting mom-to-be scooted in close to ask all kinds of questions about delivery, nursing, sleeping schedules, baby equipment, and should she ask her mom to come for the first week or so to help out. I, as a grandmother, chimed in, “Absolutely, let your mom come!”
