Parenting bliss, frustration and Shaken Baby Syndrome

So many changes are in store for us.  We are very excited to bring our daughter home tomorrow morning.  Life around the house will be quite different.  It’s nice to be closed off from the real world for a couple of days here at the hospital, but eventually the urge to go home gets strong.  Our son, Alex, has come to visit us 3 times, and is starting to get used to baby Haley.  He still gets upset when she cries, which is something he will have to get over quickly. 

I look forward to them growing up together, playing and interracting with each other. Both my wife and I have older brothers, so we know the dynamic of sibling rivalry.

We had a class at the hospital today, talking about shaken baby syndrome, warning signs for the mother and baby, and other things to expect once you get home.  I emphasized to the other parents, PATIENCE.  It’s relatively easy right now, but in a few days to weeks, frustration will become a part of the equation.  Lack of sleep and a fussy baby that constantly demands your attention will wear on you.  Babies are relentless.  You really need to be able to control your emotions and exercise extreme patience when you have a baby.  New parents don’t really know the depth of what they are getting into yet, but they will soon find out.  Love, patience and understanding with each other are important keys to getting through the first couple of months well.

I don’t think that televsion, movies or popular culture helps much (as usual.)  Many new parents have very distorted ideas about what being a new parent to a young baby is like.  In reality it is extremely tough.  It’s not the rosy, lovely and blissfull time you so often see portrayed.  Yes, it’s life changing and wonderful, but it’s a gritty, frustrating and tiresome time.  Parents who know this going in will do just fine.  Problems arise when people expect things to be easy, then find out that is a false picture.  They then begin to question their own abilities, then their spouse and finally, their baby. 

An astounding number of babies are damaged and even killed from frustrated parents or caregivers who shake them.  Over 300 babies died in the USA last year from being shaken.  The following website has some good resources, http://www.dontshake.org/index.php  I encourage all new or soon to be parents to take a look.  Patience, work on it.

 I am going to be writing more articles for our main dadsworld.com site with information from several different parenting classes, I hope you will take a look at them.

Sleep is calling, so until tomorrow, have a great day.

Tags: baby, dad, dadsworld, mom, parenting, shaken baby syndrome