Parenting Pointers - Navigating Parenthood

Navigating Parenthood—led by certified wellness practitioner Shari Stamps—offers registry consults, digital courses, and printable tools that fill the gaps most parents don’t know exist until it’s too late: lactation, oral ties, infant sleep, feeding, postpartum recovery, and more. It's expert support for early parenthood, beyond what the hospital sends you home with.

I had a chance to learn more about supporting new parents in this interview.

• What are some things that soon-to-be parents often forget to put on their registry, but are extremely helpful?
• A baby carrier like a ring sling is one essential I alway suggest, along with things like services! Registries allow you to add services or things that are more expensive for multiple people to donate toward noe so add that postpartum doula, that craniosacral therapy appointment for you and baby, that out-of-pocket pelvic floor PT, and the house cleaner.
• What types of gifts really help support a new mom, especially for sleep and feeding?
• The best gifts to support a new mom for sleep and feeding are connecting her with the right person to help her unique family — a well-trained infant & mother craniosacral therapist to help with post-pregnancy and birth tension and pain fro better sleep and overall wellbeing/function, and a lactation consultant to address concerns and feeding goals. I also urge parents to throw out any books that talk about training a baby to sleep or watching a clock for feeds unless there is a medical need for it. Parents don't need more things to do, more anciety, or more ways to feel like they are not more than enough.
• Why is it important for moms to build support even before a baby is born?
• Building a support network before baby is born allows a new mother to have the tools she needs when she needs them instead of having to scramble to find help (which can take a long time and even longer when in the thick of it and you want to dissociate or escape).
• How can friends and family support new mothers in the postpartum stage?
• One of the easiest ways to support postpartum parents is to send postpartum meals or create a meal train. Trust me, parents remember being sent food. And though we tend to think of the first few weeks as when parents need food or support, have this meal train spread out so that they still receive a random meal at months 3, 4, 5, and 7. The parents that nest and prep and have a spotless house before the baby comes are the parents who feel the home unravel a few months out when the laundry and dishes pile up again. Sending a house cleaner or daytime postpartum doula can be a huge help too.