Posted by: drchang in Preconception on
May 29, 2008
My wife and I asked ourselves that question many times over the stretch of time that we could not get pregnant. We tried multiple infertility treatments. Nothing. What was wrong with us?
We were healthy, took care of ourselves. (Well, the occasional Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese MIGHT have gone in my mouth...) Seemed like there were babies flying out all over the place among our friends and associates. We, of course, were happy for them, but still..... I had many a patient who "accidentally" got pregnant. "Why?" my wife and I would ask each other.
By the fifth round of infertility treatment, my wife was not eating well or sleeping very well from the stress she had placed on herself. She cried every time the pregnancy test would be negative. She felt she was somehow less of a woman and wife because she could not get pregnant. I, of course, couldn't have disagreed more, but she was falling into that despair that many women in this situation feel. Finally, I told told her
Posted by: drchang in Untagged on
May 22, 2008
Plastic containers. Caffeine. Seafood. Non-organic food/drink. Sleeping on your back. Nutrasweet.
It's no longer good enough to "eat right, get rest". There are literally reports coming out daily about yet another thing that is potentially harmful to your baby. It's enough to drive a mom crazy. Pretty soon, women are just going to have to live in a hermetically sealed bubble when they are pregnant and eat only food that they've grown in their own sanitized, non-fertilized, organically composted, airtight greenhouse.
Take a deep breath. I say this often to my patients. If it really was that easy to hurt your baby, the human race would have ended a long time ago. For example, I'm sure that throughout history billions of women have slept on their backs at night. Our population has mysteriously continued to rise. As is often the case in our instantaneous news world, reports of bad news relating to health are rushed to be presented to the public. Remember when
Posted by: Sarah in Untagged on
May 15, 2008
AHHHH, Mother's Day... The one day that is set aside just for us! Was your Mother's Day just any like any other day or were you treated like a princess (or at least not the maid)? From the start it seemed like any other day for me. My husband went into the office in the morning (yes, even on a Sunday) and I was home with the little ones. My almost four year old had requested blueberry pancakes. My memories of my Dad making homemade pancakes flooded my mind. How could I refuse such a simple request? So, together, we cracked the eggs, sifted the flour (okay, we didn't really sift it, we just dumped it in the bowl) and finally added the blueberries. The baby was getting envious. She wanted breakfast and she made it clear, like only baby number two can. I put her in the highchair. By the time my husband rolled in I was feeding the baby with one hand and flipping pancakes in the other. "Happy Mother's Day" he said! - Sigh -
After breakfast, we hopped in the car for an outing at
Posted by: drchang in Untagged on
May 14, 2008
You know, I have many friends and patients who comment about how hard it must be to take care of twins. "How can you possibly have enough time??" One thing I say to them is, "What choice do I have?!" HA!HA! We just do whatever we have to. That's not even the real answer, though. Here's the real answer. "How can I not?"
I am Daddy to the two most wonderful and beautiful little girls ever in the history of the world. (I know everyone else thinks that about their kids, too, but in my case, it's really true! =) ) How could I possibly not find the time to make sure they are the happiest little people they could be? As a parent, how many times have you heard, "Daddy/Mommy, can you read this to me?" or "Can you draw [fill in the blank] for me?" (For me, this request is always either a snowman or an animal of some sort.) Have you ever said, "Not now, Daddy/Mommy is busy."?
I never say that. I can in full confidence say that I have never said that to them. Your kids are only with you for a
Posted by: familybirthcenter in Untagged on
May 12, 2008
Sleep is the basis for mental health. It is true that new moms need to sleep when their babies are sleeping. Lack of sleep can accentuate baby blues and depression in mothers. Almost every week I see new moms who are completely exhausted. Many are either in tears or on the verge, asking for help on how to get their babies to sleep more.
Having a new baby in the house is one of the greatest joys in life but, it is also a major adjustment. The first three to four months are usually the hardest because, for most it takes that long to settle in to a routine. With each passing week, it gradually gets easier but most babies will have variable sleep schedules for the first year. Everything from growth spurts, teething, and developmental changes to being over stimulated during the day can interrupt a baby's sleep.
Below are some techniques that families at our new parent support group have found to be helpful:
- When Baby goes down for a nap, set a timer for 10 or 15 minutes. During
So today I'm going to write about something different. Parenting is such a crazy thing. I have twin girls. They are three years old now, and sometimes I wonder how they got here. What I mean is....
One day when I was home with them and my wife was at work, I was on the computer checking my email. I heard..."thumpthumpthump...boom!" This was soon followed by "WAAAAAHHHHH!!!!" (By the way, why does it always take a second or two before the crying starts? Isn't that weird? I scream the second I stub my toe.) My younger daughter had tried to climb the stairs and made it to the fourth step.
One day when I was home with them and my wife was at work, I was on the computer checking my email, I heard....nothing. For all you parents out there, you know that this is a bad thing. Silence is always the result of your kids busy with something. I repeat this is a bad thing. I realized this and began an immediate search of the premises. I found my younger daughter head first in the
Posted by: Sarah in Untagged on
May 07, 2008
My daughter had turned six months old and as new moms know, this is a major milestone in the food department. She was ready to join the world of cereal, winter squash, strained carrots, peas, and bananas! At her first offering, she was less than impressed. Her lips tightened, her head turned away from the approaching spoon and it was clear, she wanted nothing to do with this strange smelling substance that looked nothing like milk. I had to get creative. The next time I offered her baby food. I started by giving her a bottle. After she took a couple sips, and relaxed in its familiarity. Then, I quickly removed the bottle and snuck in a spoon-full of cereal. She wasn't happy about, but at least I got her to try it. We played this game of cat and mouse for awhile. Finally, she began to acceptand enoy this foreign substance in her mouth
Now, at 12 months, I am at another milestone. Table food! While some infants are able to eat bread, pasta, cottage cheese, and other "real
Posted by: drdavidcallies in Untagged on
May 04, 2008
Hello all. My name is David Callies, PsyD and I am a Pediatric Psychologist in private practice in Olympia, Washington. I am also the proud parent of a 17 month-old girl named Allison. On top of that, my wife is 12 weeks pregnant with our second. It’s been a wild and wonderful ride so far. I wish I could do more for my wife and wipe away the morning sickness. I just hate to see her feeling so crumby all the time. As I look at my daughter and I find myself looking at her through teh lense of a psychologist as well as from that of a father. This blog will be about all of that; what it’s like to be a father, an expecting father, how my wife and I work through parenting differences, applying real life parenting skills in raising a toddler and other things that come along.
I remember watching Alison growing up and waiting to see all of her developmental milestones surface. I have read and studied them but seeing them emerge right in front of me was fascinating. I would look for eye
Posted by: nikkik in Untagged on
May 03, 2008
As I prepared for the birth of my second child, my anxiety level over the upcoming and inevitable labor and delivery was certainly lower than it was when I was preparing for number one. There was a certain comfort in knowing what would happen, although there are no guarantees when it comes to the specifics (i.e. epidural, Caesarean, tearing or episiotomy, etc.). Not only had I been there before, but my first labor went rather quickly, and relatively smoothly. I'd never describe it as easy - that word can never be applied to childbirth, as a rule - but I was already dilated to 9 by the time I reached the hospital, and although it was intense, it never got as "excruciating" as I had psyched myself into thinking it would be. It was a difficult, yet wonderful experience that ended up giving me a huge sense of accomplishment - I had done it! I had climbed the proverbial feminine Mount Everest...and lived to tell about it!
Fast forward nearly three years later to Christmastime 2005.
Posted by: familybirthcenter in Untagged on
May 02, 2008
My husband and I had two beautiful little girls. Both of my previous pregnancies had medical challenges but the babies and I all were healthy in the end. When we became pregnant with our third baby, from the beginning we were told that due to low progesterone levels and some bleeding problems I would likely lose the baby midterm. We decided to hope for the best and do what we could to help save our baby. Everyday I ate healthy, took my prenatal vitamins, and rested as much as I could without going on complete bedrest (which I had done for nine weeks with baby number two). I did what I could to protect our unborn baby physically. However, emotionally I stayed disconnected. I just couldn't let myself get too emotionally invested because, if something did happen to the baby I would be devastated and I didn't want to not put my other children and husband through that kind of sadness.
The pregnancy had its medical difficulties and at seven months, I was dilated to three and a
