Womb to Bloom - Maternity & Beyond

A common old wives tale suggests that a baby should be kept at home for the first few months of life. Perhaps it was believed that this would keep the baby healthy, or maybe it was more related to the fact that a woman has a bloody discharge for several weeks after labor and thus should be kept out of the public eye. Whatever the reason, this advice is dated and handicaps the mother needlessly.

Babies are amazing in their ability to adjust to new circumstances. As they grow older they become more set in their ways, but when they are very little they can pretty much fall asleep and otherwise function any place and any time. By exposing your baby to the lifestyle you expect him to be a part of from the beginning you give him a better chance of adjusting to it.

Having an older child, I don’t have the luxury of sitting at home with my five month old daughter. My son has a variety of events from swimming lessons to Cubs to day camps over the holidays. His little sister began her exposure to the world around her when she was barely five days old. In her short life she has eaten everywhere from restaurants to meetings to the bowling alley to the pool. Not only do I feed her everywhere, I also expect her to fall asleep wherever we might happen to be.

One time I was at a day camp over March break with my son where they were learning about African drumming. My little one loved the excitement of the drumming and enjoyed the rattle I shared with her so that she could join in. In no time she was thoroughly worn out from everything and soon passed out on my lap. All around her the drumming lessons continued.

The crowning moment was when the group put together a little routine which culminated with a huge crash of thunder from all the drums at once. My darling little girl blinked once, turned her head into my side and snuggled closer as she sighed softly in her sleep. Everyone was amazed at her ability to sleep through all the noise.

If a baby gets used to sleeping in a variety of situations she will be more tolerant to situations where she needs to adjust to a different routine or place. Too many times I have met women who feel that they can’t bring their babies out and wind up missing out on a variety of activities. They don’t understand that babies enjoy seeing the world around them as much as everyone enjoys seeing them.

Everywhere I go my little one is the talk of those around her. From cooing grandfatherly types to fascinated toddling girls and boys who are amazed to see someone smaller than they are, everyone everywhere loves to coddle a young baby. There is nothing as gratifying as having a complete stranger tell you how delightful your baby is or commenting on how lovely her smile or her eyes are.

So if you are feeling trapped at home you need to consider why you feel that way. Is there a good reason to keep you baby at home? Unless your baby has health issues that require her to stay in a controlled environment getting out is actually healthier than staying at home.

Are you concerned about breastfeeding in public? Many stores and shopping malls now have facilities set aside for nursing your baby. Some people feel more comfortable hiding out in the bathroom where a wheelchair stall gives you a bit of extra room and some privacy. More and more people are open to breastfeeding in public as long as a woman is reasonably discrete about it.

At restaurants pick a quiet corner booth. If you carry a receiving blanket with you drape it over your shoulder on your feeding side and cover you baby’s head with it. You can hold the blanket up a bit so you can still see your baby while remaining discrete. Most people will assume the baby is trying to sleep. There are even special nursing covers available if you are concerned about the receiving blanket falling off in the middle of your feeding.

With a range of bicycle trailers, car seats that convert into carriers or attach to strollers, slings and backpacks and other hands-free carrying systems, and baby carriages of all shapes and sizes there are dozens of way to get your baby out with you. The exercise and social interaction will do you a lot of good and you will soon find that it isn’t as difficult as your thought it would be.