Postpartum and Early Parenthood Articles by Ann Douglas

From becoming a parent to bringing up baby....

Life After Baby

• The Secret to Loving Your Post-Baby Life: Going With the Flow: It is so much easier to go with the flow: to accept the fact that you’re living in a baby-centered universe right now. That means meeting the needs of your newborn, taking the best possible care of yourself (you’re your baby’s support system, after all).
• My Parenting Village: Being a new mom becomes a lot easier once you find your parenting village.
• Everything I Needed to Know About Pregnancy and Raising Babies I Learned from Other Moms: Here are six all-important lessons about motherhood that I learned from other moms.
• Life After Baby: A Sneak Peek at Your Post-Baby World: Wondering what life after baby will really be like? Here’s a sneak peek…
• The Delegation Game: You don't have to do it all on your own -- you shouldn't do it all on your own -- after you have a baby. An important part of being a parent is mastering the art of delegation.
• Bonding With Your Baby: Don't Get Stressed About It: After months of anticipation, your baby is finally here. She’s healthy and she’s gorgeous (just like her mama) and she definitely knows what she’s doing when it comes to bonding with you.
• 10 Tips for Planning Your Babymoon: Taking a long-awaited break Looking for ways to make life a little less stressful in your post-pregnancy universe? Here are ten things you can do right now to ease some of those postpartum road bumps.
• A Tour of Your Postpartum Body: Your body after the birth.
• How Not to Overshop for Baby: It’s the job of the juvenile products industry to try to convince you that you do — and it’s your job to learn how to distinguish between the must-haves and the nice-to-haves and the just-plain-useless items you’ll encounter as you shop for baby.
• The Motherhood Club: There are few experiences as dramatic as that of becoming a mother. One moment you're totally in control of your own destiny: the next, you've surrendered yourself -- body and soul -- to meeting the ever-changing demands of a tiny, red-faced infant.  
• Mom's Stress Guide: Babies: Congratulations! You've just arrived on Planet Mom.
• Sleep Deprivation After The Birth of Your New Baby: There's tired -- and then there's the level of exhaustion you experience after the birth of a baby. 
• Secrets of Sleep-Savvy Moms: Ways to make sleep deprivation less crazy-making. 

Your Relationship After Baby

• Is There Sex After Baby?: Sari and Roy Castle are living proof that your sex life can continue to thrive after you have children. 
• New Moms Bring Back Sexy: Has your desire for sex gone AWOL ever since you had your baby? Hey, it happens.
• And Baby Makes Three: Having a baby changes everything about your life. The impact on your relationship with your partner can be far-reaching and unexpected.

Perinatal Mood Disorders (Postpartum Depression, Postpartum Anxiety)

• Postpartum Depression vs. Postpartum Blues: How do you tell the difference between postpartum depression and postpartum blues? 
• This is Your Brain on the Postpartum Blues: Elevated levels of a brain protein known to deplete the body of feel-good hormones like serotonin may be responsible for triggering powerful feelings of sadness in new mothers.

Welcoming a Preterm Baby

• How Parents Can Navigate Neonatal Intensive Care: Sadie Grant has already demonstrated a flair for the dramatic, showing up 15 weeks early in the midst of a snowstorm. 
• PTSD Concerns for Parents of Premature Babies: Mental health issues may continue to be a concern for parents of premature babies long after their babies have been discharged from hospital.
   

Ann Douglas is the author of The Mother of All Baby Books and numerous other books about pregnancy and parenting.