It’s the middle of the night and your newborn is (finally) asleep. It feels like you haven’t slept in days, but you just can’t bring yourself to relax. Instead, you’re peering down at this wondrous little creature, who snoozes peacefully as if he hasn’t spent the past two hours screaming like the world was ending.
When you do make it to bed for a few blissful minutes of sleep, your thoughts are racing. Why was he crying for so long? What are you doing wrong? You go over the checklist of all the things you did (or didn’t) do: clean diaper, full tummy, etc. You sang sweet songs and made silly faces, but to no avail. Should you let him cry it out? Sleep in your bed? How can you possibly raise this incredible child to be an equally incredible adult?
At three in the morning when you’re going on three hours of sleep, you might feel like you’re the only person in the world who is having these thoughts. But you’re not! All over Denver, new mothers just like you are wondering, worrying, planning, and scouring the internet for the answers to those tough questions.
Connecting with other parents can be a lifeline for moms who feel inundated with questions that don’t always seem to have answers. Baby+Company, a newly opened birth center in Wheat Ridge, offers a six-week New Moms Group for mothers (with their newborns) to talk with experts and each other about their concerns. Topics range from the practical (like estate planning, guardianship, and ergonomics) to the family-oriented, including intimacy after baby, infant massage, and mindfulness for stress relief. Laura Patterson, who is currently taking part in a New Moms Group, said after just one class that she enjoyed “all the shared knowledge and exposure to new experts, like a homeopath. It’s helpful to have people at the center who can source resources for you.”
Parenting is confusing on its own, and when you’ve barely slept, those baby handbooks can seem like they’re written in another language. Every “expert” on the internet says something different; it’s hard to know who to believe. The New Moms Group at Baby+Company brings in reliable, relatable experts each week to discuss the issues that matter to you: how do you establish a routine? What can you do when your baby is fussy or gassy? What kinds of feeding and sleeping patterns should you expect? Over the course of two hours each week, you’ll chat with experts and women who have the same concerns you do.
These groups aren’t just informative. They’re full of laughter and friendship, both for you and your newborn. Abby Schissler, a new mother and participant, said, “I was surprised that I actually made friends that I connect with on a weekly basis now. I would tell [new moms] how important it is to get connected with groups like this…my confidence in knowing that I’m doing what’s right for my baby shifted.” The New Moms Group is for moms with babies who are between two and eight weeks old when the group starts, so you’ll see them progress together. Each week features new age-appropriate developmental play activities that you and your baby can practice at home.
We know: just getting yourself and your newborn dressed and out the door can seem like a Herculean task in itself. But you’re meeting with other moms who are going through very similar experiences. As mother Rebekah Zilkoski recounts, “One surprising thing I found is that I am not the only worrisome, panicky, ‘obsessed with their baby’ mother. It was so amazing because these women were facing the same difficulties and milestones I was facing at that same moment. It wasn’t a preaching session; it was a time to hear other moms with their comparative stories. I went home feeling awesome and screaming, ‘It is normal, my child is normal, I am normal!’ It was so comforting.”
So if you’re feeling alone, worried, or concerned (and what new mother isn’t?), join a New Moms Group at Baby+Company! Anyone can join, and this is a judgment-free zone. Skip the shower, throw on those yoga pants, and go. It’ll be worth it.
Author: Mile High Mamas
