When my daughter was born nearly 18 years ago, I had a landline – and a pager for an emergency. I made two columns on a sheet of paper and logged each time my newborn nursed or had a poopy diaper. My annual calendar was from National Geographic and hung on my wall. I squeezed our daily outings and appointments on it in very small writing. It was a big red dot (or a missing one) on that same calendar that told me when my period was late, signaling that my daughter was soon to have a brother.
Boy. Have times changed.
Today there's a smart phone application for just about every new parent tracking need. As you'll learn in these pages, you no longer need to dig out pen and paper to follow your baby's eating, eliminating and sleeping patterns – or track your monthly cycle as you seek to conceive. There's an app for that! We hope our "Best of" apps list helps reduce the work and pressure of new parenting.
But try to keep app tracking in check. As useful as these time management and information programs are, what your baby needs most is your face, your voice and your touch. So, keep the phone nearby, but your focus on your baby – her cues, her communication, the abundance of information she is sharing with you as she grows and develops. An app cannot and should not replace your intuition.
In this issue, you'll learn about the TENS Unit for labor, massage to promote a healthy postpartum and one mother's discovery that a once-banned substance could help relieve her dangerously constant vomiting during pregnancy. The substance was marijuana. Here we take a look at the big debate over its use before, during and after baby arrives – a debate with no clear answers. We'd love to hear your thoughts.
May your journey into parenthood be full of wonder and joy.
Cheryl Murfin
Editor
editor@seattleschild.com