Precious Newborn In The House
I remember being terrified of handling a newborn from a wheelchair when my granddaughter and grandson were born. With time and trial and error, it got a lot easier. The love part is easy, it was the handling part that was scarey.
Special equipment is hard to find and expensive when you do find it. Hence the reason for this page, which is as good a jumping off point as any for the parenting section, especially since our household will be embracing another tiny soul in the spring.
A baby carrier such as a good sling, goes a long way when you need your hands to move. If you use a sling, be very vigilant in making sure your infant's face and airway is clear at all times. I like this one although you may need help to put it on. It is called the Moby Wrap, which I found at Amazon.com.
For sleeping at night, I like this Arm's Reach co-sleeper. The short side sits right up against your bed so you can just reach over and pick her up for night feedings. That low side is also good to put your infant in for naps from your chair but you will need to find a new daytime sleeping solution for baby once he or she is big enough to roll over vigorously.
Changing an infant presents a whole new set of issues. A coffee table, padded with bath towels, sort of works, the angle is kind of awkward. I thought of using an old office desk as a changing table, the kind with the large knee hole, then you could keep changing supplies in the drawers. I think that might work. Let me know how it goes if you try it.
Bathing should be done with help. A standard infant tub, set on a coffee table works, but water is heavy to move and I don't recommend trying to move to a changing area with a wet, slippery baby on your lap. Handy Resources: Women, Infant and Children (WIC) Tuolumne County Health Department 20111 Cedar Road North Sonora, Ca 95370 (209)533-7431 Mon.-Thurs. 7:30-5:30 Provides supplemental, nutrition vouchers for nursing mothers, infants and children at nutritional risk. (Requires the occasional blood test from your doctor and various classes and meetings with your worker) Call first and warn them if you use a chair, The last time I went there 2 years ago, I could not fit my chair through the opening of the worker's cubicle and had to sit in the doorway. Foothill Pregnancy Center 230 South Shepard Street Sonora, Ca 95370 (209)536-9262 Tues.-Fri. noon-5:00p.m. Baby and maternity clothes and some baby furniture to borrow. Requires education sessions. Call first, I haven't been to their newer office so I don't know if it is accessible, the last one was not. |   Parenting a newborn is pretty easy. It is lots of loving, changing diapers, feeding, burping and cleaning up. Talk to and sing to them often. Kiss their tiny faces and show them off with every chance you get. Above all, never be afraid to ask for help, you deserve it and so does your precious baby sweet. More Handy Resources: Infant/Child Enrichment Services, (ICES) 20993 Niagra River Dr. Sonora, CA 95370 (209)533-0377 Mon.-Fri. 8:30-5:00 They offer a variety of services, related to parenting from child care help/referrals to parenting classes. Two of my girls very much enjoyed learning infant massage. They also benefited from learning how to deal with parenting an infant.
Interfaith Community Social Services 18500 Striker Ct. P.O. Box 5070 Sonora, CA 95370 (209)532-0905 10:00a.m.-1:00p.m. clothing stops at 12:30 Offering mostly food and clothing once a month. They gave my daughter a "layette" when her baby was born that had some nice, useful things in it.
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