Bonding and Attachment
Parents about to have a baby will often have very clear ideas, and even written birth plans that focus on enhancing opportunities for early bonding. At BIDMC, we will encourage and support your bonding...
View ArticleAre Your Hands Clean
If I stop to think about it, it seems like I wash my hands constantly…either washing or sanitizing that is. I’ve worked in a hospital for a long time, and so practicing good hand hygiene is just second...
View ArticleDomestic Violence Awareness
I love the month of October, especially in New England. The leaves are beautiful, the air crisp, but hasn’t yet turned the bitter biting cold of winter, and Halloween, one of my favorite holidays is in...
View ArticleChronicle
A Tale of Two Neighborhoods is the title of one of the stories that was featured this past Wednesday June 29th on WCVB, Channel 5 (ABC) Chronicle. The program addressed the wide disparity in life...
View ArticleGrowing Up
It’s an interesting dynamic that often occurs when we become parents…a shifting in our relationships/in the way we interact with our own parents. We are no longer solely sons or daughters, but now...
View ArticleI Need A Break
New parents hear a lot about the rapid development of babies brains, and the importance of providing baby adequate stimulation. But rarely are parents given guidelines to know how much is enough and...
View ArticleCold Outside
It’s December, and we’ve already had a taste of what’s to come and will continue for the next several months. Having a baby at this time of year can feel particularly isolating: it is cold, the...
View ArticleDrinking While Pregnant
New Year’s Eve has just passed, yet it still seems fitting to address alcohol use during pregnancy. Some might remember the Boston Magazine provocative title cover and story, “What, Me Worry? The...
View ArticleWhat I Wish My Friends Had Told Me
If you are like many first-time moms, during your pregnancy, you planned and prepared for the arrival of your little one. You took care of yourself, saw your OB regularly, and gathered the gear you'd...
View ArticleCircumcision
It’s a boy! Perhaps you learned the gender of your baby during your pregnancy, or perhaps you’re waiting to be surprised when your baby is born. Regardless of when you learn that your baby is a boy,...
View ArticleGoodnight Moon
I was cleaning out bookshelves in my son's room the other day. He's in high school now, and while many of his books are on CD or access via the computer, there are still textbooks in use, big, thick...
View ArticleBecoming Grandparents
Excitement abounds as you await the arrival of the newest member of your family. Your days are busy with preparation; preparing for the delivery, obtaining the necessary gear for the baby and getting...
View ArticlePartnering With Your Childcare Provider
For many moms, going back to work after maternity leave is a major adjustment filled with a range of feelings including sadness in anticipation of being away from baby for long stretches of time, and...
View ArticleGot Sleep
If I were ever a contestant on the game show The Family Feud, and if the question came up, “Name the number one question parents of a newborn are asked,” I’d hit the buzzer so fast. Hands down, the...
View ArticlePumping Guide
So often, breastfeeding moms are overwhelmed with the breast pump. Taking it out of the box, you're faced with all kinds of hoses and equipment — the likes of which you've never seen, let alone applied...
View ArticleBaby Play
Let’s face it, most first-time parents (myself included), feel somewhat at a loss about how to “play” with their babies. In those first couple of months, babies just don’t do a whole lot besides eat,...
View ArticleBaby Food Basics
Starting solids with your baby can be both an exciting and daunting experience. When to start? What foods? How much and how often? This new-parent thing can be exhausting with so much to learn! (Just...
View ArticleI Failed The Food Pyramid
Our last posting addressed the question of starting solids. This posting, I’m fast forwarding to the older baby who’s no longer interested in the purees, and is moving towards “regular food.” If you...
View ArticleThis Is Not Easy
I’ve been leading moms groups for close to 20 years now and in that capacity have met a lot of babies and their moms. Many moms start coming to group when baby is just a few weeks old, eager to get out...
View ArticleBreastfeeding and Marijuana Use
In 2012, Massachusetts legalized the use of medical marijuana and in 2016, legalized its recreational use. While marijuana is known to successfully treat symptoms for a range of medical issues, what...
View ArticleChildbirth Education and Tours
The third trimester of pregnancy is such an exciting time! The last weeks of pregnancy are in sight and parents begin to eagerly prepare to meet this little one that has been moving and shaking in...
View ArticleAfter Mother's Day
So Mother’s Day was this past Sunday and the web was full of Mother’s Day wishes and suggestions. In that light, this is a post-Mother’s Day post intended to provide dads new to parenting some...
View ArticleWhat to expect when you are healing with us
At BIDMC we strive to ensure that every patient receives personalized and compassionate care of the highest quality. Knowing that childbirth is not a pain free experience, we’re committed to connecting...
View ArticleSurviving Colic
The Witching Hour, the Arsenic Hour … whatever you want to call it, ask any parent of a newborn what the hours between 3 p.m. - 8 p.m. might look like, and chances are high that they will tell you it’s...
View ArticleBeware of Dr. Google
That’s what I tell moms that come to the new moms groups I lead, but I realize how hard it is to follow that advice. It seems so quick and easy when you have a question, or you’re just not sure about...
View ArticleBathing Baby
Many new parents face the task of giving baby a bath feeling a bit out of their league. If you’ve never done it before, you may think, what’s the big deal? But, ask any first time parent of a newborn…...
View ArticleCelebrating Dads
Sunday is Father's Day, and an opportunity to celebrate and acknowledge all the dads in our lives. During one of our new mom's groups this week, someone asked if anyone had a creative idea for a...
View ArticleSex After Baby
What?!! Well, yes, let’s talk about it. It’s likely something that you and your partner (if you’re partnered) are thinking about. And for all of the thinking and angsting that we do about it, we spend...
View ArticleSummertime
At last, summer has arrived and despite a crazy spring with temperatures bouncing between hot and cold, it feels like we can finally count on some consistency with some warmer temperatures! If this is...
View ArticleIt Will Change Your Life
It often comes up in the moms groups I lead…about how much becoming a parent changes you, often in ways that you could not fully comprehend no matter how many books you read, or how much experience...
View ArticleBonding and Attachment
Parents about to have a baby will often have very clear ideas, and even written birth plans that focus on enhancing opportunities for early bonding particularly at the moment of birth. Breastfeeding...
View ArticleKeeping Your Breast Pump Clean
Breastfeeding moms, who are going back to work, often describe that apart from the adjustment of being apart from baby for hours at a stretch, one of the biggest challenges of going back to work is...
View ArticleBack to Work
Many new moms returning to work after maternity leave, experience feeling increased anxiety as the return to work date approaches. Even though you may have planned for this reality, researching your...
View ArticleChoosing Your Pediatrician
There are so many things for new parents to do as they wait for the arrival of their new baby. Notifying every one of the happy news, attending doctor appointments, taking prenatal classes, gathering...
View ArticleLove Makes a Family
Not so long ago, Kim Cooke, LICSW, and former Parent Connection Program Coordinator, wrote a blog about her experience as a parent in a same-sex couple and dealing with intrusive questions/comments...
View ArticleCar Seat Safety
There are so many choices and a significant range in price when it comes to buying a car seat. It can be pretty overwhelming, and expense does not necessarily correlate with better. For many families,...
View ArticlePostpartum Breastfeeding Support Group
Since 1991, The Parent Connection at BIDMC has provided families continued support after leaving our postpartum units and in the amazing and often overwhelming adjustment to parenthood. One of the most...
View ArticleFall is Flu Season
It’s that time of year again, and you may already have gotten information from your pediatrician’s office about the flu vaccine. The discussion around vaccinations is an important one to have with your...
View ArticleBreastfeeding for Partners of Breastfeeding Moms
It’s easy to understand why husbands or wives of breastfeeding moms can sometimes feel left out when it comes to breastfeeding. There are days when it seems that the only time that baby is satisfied is...
View ArticleDomestic Violence Awareness
I love the month of October, especially in New England. The leaves are beautiful, the air crisp, but hasn’t yet turned the bitter biting cold of winter, and Halloween, one of my favorite holidays is in...
View ArticleHow About a Schedule
To have a schedule: it’s the thing we all want when we have a baby. A schedule fills many needs. It gives us a much needed sense of order and control … something we are desperate for when our world has...
View ArticleSleep Well Sleep Safe
Most recently, (10/3/17) The FDA issued a statement cautioning parents and caregivers about the use of baby products that claim to reduce the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) While those 4...
View ArticleSwaddling
One of the first tricks that new parents learn to master is the art of the swaddle. I am often awed watching our postpartum nurses wrap a newborn like a cozy little burrito in a flash of seconds.
View ArticleAre Your Hands Clean
If I stop to think about it, it seems like I wash my hands constantly…either washing or sanitizing that is. I’ve worked in a hospital for a long time, and so practicing good hand hygiene is just second...
View ArticleFlying with Baby
It’s the holidays and for some, it may mean the first time you are traveling on a plane with a baby. Not long ago, one of the moms that comes to a moms group I lead wrote down some travelling tips that...
View ArticleGrowing Up As Parents
It’s an interesting dynamic that often occurs when we become parents…a shifting in our relationships/in the way we interact with our own parents. We are no longer solely sons or daughters, but now...
View ArticleBaby Its Cold Outside
It’s December, and we’ve already had a taste of what’s to come and will continue for the next several months. Having a baby at this time of year, can feel particularly isolating as its cold, the...
View ArticleDrinking While Pregnant
So the official New Year’s Eve holiday is past, but it’s a still a good time to address alcohol use during pregnancy. Some might remember, Boston Magazine ran a very provocative front cover photo with...
View ArticleIts A Boy
It’s a boy! Perhaps you learned the gender of your baby during your pregnancy, or perhaps you’re waiting to be surprised when your baby is born. Regardless of when you learn that your baby is a boy,...
View ArticleBecoming Parents
February being the month of Valentines, it seems fitting to talk about what happens to couples when they become parents, especially for the first time. I have often found it curious, that so much time...
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