So you're having a new baby! Congratulations!
Whether it be your first, second, third or fourth child, each new bundle of joy comes with new demands, new changes and a never ending list of adjustments. While having children is undoubtedly the most amazing experience you will ever have, what we all learn along the way is that it’s also the most challenging.
The expectation on you to feel that sense of an overwhelming outpouring of love, a feeling that friends, family and the media portray as a given, is not always immediate and can be really depressing and difficult to talk about if you don’t experience it.
"If you are feeling this way, please know that you are definitely not alone."
Some parents feel so overwrought and exhausted by the new demands, that they battle to reach the heights of love and adoration they expected to feel.
If you are feeling this way, please know that you are definitely not alone. Many moms and dads have so much pressure on them outside of having a new baby that the reality translates less into overwhelming love and more into distress and tension.
The uncertainty, hormones, tiredness and a feeling of loss of control, coupled with giving up what you have previously known and developed can be really tricky.
Another challenge that often occurs is the need to share or experience the same love you have for your first with a new baby. These reasons, and many others, are just some of the factors that can contribute to your lack of elation over the new baby.
"Most of the time parents can respond to a child in a warm, sensitive and responsive way such as picking up the child when it cries, and reassuring it that its needs can be met." - Columbia University and the University of Bristol in England
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TAKE A DEEP BREATH
Take a deep breath and take the pressure off yourself by just ‘doing’ what you need to do to take care of your baby's needs in a gently loving way. Smile, coo, touch, hold and hug.
A real game-changer comes if you CONSCIOUSLY OBSERVE YOUR BABY’S DEVELOPMENT. When you look at your baby, LOOK TO SEE. Their growth is a wondrous thing that happens before your eyes. Their realisations are mirrored in their eyes and their curiosity is infectious.
Their brain cells develop insanely fast and their ability to learn and attempt new skills is unbelievably impressive. Taking an avid interest in their progress takes the pressure off yourself as being the sole reason for that growth, and shifts it to that of an assistant. It creates interest and pride in you which will translate into good self-esteem in your little ones.
FIND A SAFE SPACE
Lie next to your little one on your soft, comfortable, safe ARK play mat and watch them grow and emerge from a tiny infant into a development machine. It happens so fast - you will want to take time to witness it!
As your baby grows, everything you do can take place on your play mat. The soft, firm surface is the perfect place for you to relax and engage with your baby and admire their progress which happens minute to minute.
Our ARK play mats are dust free, non-slip and waterproof so totally free of nasties and create the perfect safe surface for you and your baby to explore, grow and bond on.
ARK Playmats creates play mats for your baby but designs them for you so that you can retain your sense of style without compromise. You deserve to retain parts of yourself and enjoy your space too.