Blog Family Leave
Author: Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L
My Personal Parenting Life
Everybody knows how to raise children, except the people who have them. – P.J. O’Rourke
When my son was born, I had many expectations on how I was going to raise him. Being a pediatric Occupational Therapist, I felt like I had an advantage. I assumed that the troubles and turmoil parents face could easily be solved with follow-through and consistency. I would often hear fellow colleagues tell me, “Wait until you have kids.”
Continue readingBaby 101: Class is in Session
“There’s no such thing as ready. You just jump on a moving train and you try not to die.” – What to Expect When You’re Expecting (2012)
When I was pregnant with our first born, my husband and I excitedly prepped for his arrival. We nested, made the baby registry, and even scheduled some birthing and baby courses to be more prepared for his delivery and care. However, all of that went out the window when I went into labor at 27 weeks.
Needless to say, I never got a chance to take a tour of the maternity ward, or find out how to appropriately breathe or push when going into labor, or even know what to do or expect once he was born. It just happened.
This brings up the question, do you really need to take baby courses?
Continue readingPregnancy Self-Care
Modern expectant moms (especially first-time moms) hear a gamut of unsolicited advice during their pregnancy term. “You need to take care of yourself,” strangely seems to be one of the more annoying pieces of noise.
It makes sense. But with a 9-month (or sooner) deadline, how can one balance preparing for baby AND fulfilling professional and personal commitments AND taking care of yourself? Let’s also not forget finding time to read the baby books, going to all of the appointments, and having people touch your belly all the time…
From an OT perspective, self-care is a part of daily living that includes meaningful and intentional actions to address one’s physical, mental, and emotional health. These activities can range anywhere from personal hygiene to health management, sleep, and social participation.
Continue readingThe Baby (Development) Registry
Oh, the baby registry. It’s an exciting time to search for all the things that baby (and you) could ever need. But what is really necessary? When it comes to growth and development, here are our suggestions for items that help in more ways than one.
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Child(ish) Advice 