Mom's Groups

As a new mom, you will soon learn that your whole life has changed--your activities every day, the amount of sleep you get in a given night, to the amount of love felt for another human being. Especially in the first few weeks and months, you are literally spending every moment of every day with your baby, caring and nurturing him and trying to run a household at the same time.

You will definitely need an outlet and support from others, which is why I highly recommend joining a mom's group. I started going to my mom's group after David went back to work, when Alex was about six weeks old. The one which I attend is free (which is a bonus) and is offered by Kaiser Oakland. We meet once per week and the format is quite free-form. There is a lactation consultant who is the moderator and each mom gets a chance to introduce herself and her baby and ask questions or just give updates on what is going on with them.

I am so happy that I tried out the group, because it has provided lots of advice, support and new friends for both myself and for Alex. Make sure you take advantage of the resources in your community. It is always helpful to have others moms to chat with, share experiences with, bounce ideas off of and have adult interaction with. Our group also has a Yahoo! group, so that we can be connected all through the week, regardless of time or place. I have also visited quite a few other mom connecting sites online which have been very useful when I have a question. Inevitably, someone else will have had the experience that you are currently going through and they will be able to give some advice.