4 Tips For New Parents

Becoming a parent for the first time is a scary, but exciting challenge. Everyday will be filled with something new as your baby grows and develop their own personality. There are a 4 rules to live by that will set a solid foundation in your new role as a parent.

4 Tips for New Parents

1. Be a friend. Let your child know that you are always available to talk, or just listen. Spend time playing, goofing around and just enjoying each others company. Take the time to forget all your parenting duties and have fun.
2. Be a teacher. Your child will watch and learn from anything you do. Be a great role model in your daily life and set a good example. Your morals and beliefs will greatly influence your child's.
3. Be a role model. Be the person you want your child to be. One of the biggest mistake is to tell your child to 'do as I say, not as I do.' Children learn a lot by imitating their parents.
4. Be a parent. In the end, you're still the parent. Don't be afraid to put your foot down and discipline your child. Sometimes you have to show tough love. They may not thank you, but you are doing your child a favor by not giving in.

Parenthood is a crazy roller coaster, filled with good and bad times. The key is to learn from your mistakes and do what is best for your child. Do the best you can from the start and your children will thank you.

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36 EASY PARENTING HACKS AND TIPS

Postpartum Depression in Men

Men Also Get the Baby Blues

Society tells us that a new baby should be one of the most joyous of all life experiences. Well, for many new parents it can be quite the opposite.

Who Does It Effect?

Postpartum depression is an incapacitating psychological illness. It affects more than 15 percent of new mothers and 10 percent of new fathers. Many parents simply do not tell anyone that they are not coping with their new role as parents. It is common to experience very painful emotions after the birth of a new baby and men in particular do not ask for help. How many men visit a doctor when they need it, let alone get help when they are not coping emotionally or experiencing the baby blues?

Having a new baby brings massive changes to your life and there are a lot of 'fairytale' expectations from the world around us that are impossible to live up to. Men are often totally unprepared for the new stresses having a young family can bring: suddenly they have to juggle work, extra financial pressures and trying to support their partner who is going through her own life-flip!

How Do Men Feel

Add to that a loss of freedom, lack of sleep, probably less sex - let alone the huge identity change that comes with being a new dad. All of this can lead to resentment towards their baby, their partner and everyone around them that is still living the life they used to have.

Postpartum depression in men, or baby blues, can bring with it mood swings, drug taking or drinking, anger, anxiety attacks, becoming withdrawn from loved ones and a general feeling of unhappiness. Many men then try to brush off the negative feelings they experience and struggle on without seeking support.

It's Okay to Not Love Being a New Dad

If postpartum depression is left untreated it can be devastating for the whole family. Men need to know that it is okay to have negative feelings about their new role as a parent and reaching out for help is the right thing to do.

Postpartum Depression in men is treated with therapy or counseling and sometimes antidepressants as well. Joining a support group for new parents is also a good way to understand that you are not alone and that there are plenty of other men sharing the same experience.

Cherish and be marveled at by the family you have created. For more information about being new parents and how it affects your marriage visit [http://makingmarriagebetter.com/marriage-after-baby]

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#Momsplaining with Kristen Bell: Self-Care

Breaking The Myths of Motherhood - One Step Toward Alleviating Postpartum Mood Disorders

Many first-time mothers are baffled when they find their new life with baby doesn't match up to the myths of motherhood. We are led to believe that having a baby should be a glorious, magical time. We are taught not only that we will but that we must bond immediately with our babies. We believe in the images of mother and father standing over their baby's crib holding each other close and smiling with glee, and we assume we will have the same experience.

But the reality is often a bit more raw. Reality may include fear, exhaustion, confusion and self-doubt. It may involve a high-needs' baby, breast-feeding challenges, marital adjustments, isolation, or other life stressors.

When a woman has a family or personal history of depression or anxiety in addition to hormonal shifts, sleep deprivation, and a less than perfect experience as a new mother, she may be thrown into an unexpected state of irritation, depression, anxiety or obsessive/compulsive behavior. It can be a time of confusion and increased self-doubt, leaving her wondering, "What is wrong with me?"

10-20% of pregnant women will experience postpartum depression or anxiety. The good news is that it is incredibly treatable. For mild depression or anxiety, support, exercise, healthy eating, and a moderate amount of sleep may be all it takes for a mother to feel like herself again. For moderate to severe depression or anxiety, an individualized combination of self-care, therapy and medication has proven to resolve even the most challenging postpartum adjustment issues.

During pregnancy, if a woman knows she has a family or personal history of depression or anxiety, if there are actual or anticipated life stressors during pregnancy or the first year postpartum, or if she has minimal amount of support in her life, she can shore up resources and support during pregnancy to minimize the possibility of postpartum depression.The greatest gift a mother can give to her baby is to feel good about being a mom. The greatest gift she can give to herself is the support and self-care she needs to make that her reality.

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Benefits of Post Partum Yoga

Yoga is a fantastic all round exercise, focusing on mental and physical wellbeing. As a form of exercise for pregnancy, it has many benefits and a lot of women who participate in prenatal yoga classes wish to continue after they have given birth. If you have attended a pregnancy yoga class chances are your instructor will also hold postnatal or postpartum classes as well. The main benefits of attending post partum yoga classes are that it strengthens your pelvic floor and abdominal muscles, and helps you to maintain a healthy body weight, working towards getting back your pre-pregnancy body shape. Yoga is gentler than a lot of other exercises so if you do want to take it slowly this would be a great exercise to take part in. You are also usually able to start attending classes only six to eight weeks after giving birth, unless advised otherwise by your doctor.

Most postnatal yoga classes involve your newborn baby, and their involvement can be as simple as lying on the mat whilst you perform the asanas, or poses, to joining in with the poses. For the mother, as yoga focuses on both the mind and body, it can help relax the nervous system and balance out your hormones. As prenatal yoga works with your body to enable a healthier pregnancy, post partum yoga will place emphasis on strengthening the pelvic floor muscles, your abdomen muscles and your legs and back whilst also easing tension across your upper body and promoting a sense of wellbeing and confidence in your new role.

Post partum yoga classes are usually very gentle and can include lots of little games to amuse your baby and gentle exercises to encourage stretching and the development your baby's posture. Yoga can also help with poor circulation, poor digestion and constipation in babies. Other benefits include strengthening your baby's spine, increasing your baby's awareness of his/her own body and confidence, promoting flexibility and suppleness of their joints and muscles and encouraging the development of co-ordination skills.

If you do decide to attend a post natal/post partum yoga class don't be concerned about how your baby will react. Whilst some babies will thrive in the new environment and actively take part, others may fret and cry a lot and take some time to settle in. Your yoga instructor will be used to this and you shouldn't be alarmed or embarrassed in any way as each child is different and will react to new situations in totally different ways. Remember that you are in a room with other new mums who are all sharing similar experiences and will be feeling the same anxieties. In fact you may even make some new lifelong friends.

Written by Cat Scrivens

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Yoga for Mental Health: Mental and Physical Benefits of Yoga

Living in today's fast-paced world can be very stressful. People go through their lives without having time for rest and relaxation. One would think that after all the advancements in technology life would be so much simpler and relaxed. However, life has actually become busier with the advent of all these new technologies. Even if you are always piled up with work at the office or you find yourself always having to travel from one place to another not for leisure but for business, it is still important to take some time for yourself. A good way to make your free time more relaxing is by doing some yoga. The primary focus of yoga is on the general well being of the individual. Yoga is good for your mental health and stress reduction, as it encourages the mind to focus and relax.

Doing some yoga, whether in a class or at home by yourself can have a lot of positive benefits for your overall mental health. Yoga can help your mind relax and by constantly engaging in both the physical and mental practices of this discipline, you will find that it is much easier to deal with stressful situations. Yoga for mental health offers so many benefits. Yoga can teach you to learn how to quiet your mind so that you can focus your energy into being at peace. While work and other worldly endeavors are an important part of your life, it is important to feel from time to time that work is not all there is in the world. By doing yoga, you can focus on positive thoughts and you can let go of all the bad energy and focus on things that make you happy.

Doing yoga for fitness is beneficial for your body as well as your mind. Yoga will keep you physically fit, as it improves you body's flexibility and your overall health. Yoga significantly improves energy, vitality and respiration. By doing yoga, you can lose a lot of weight, as it helps improve metabolism. When you feel good about the way you look physically and when you constantly think of positive thoughts, you will be much more satisfied with your life. Yoga for mental health may just be one of the best things you can do for yourself. Go for a session or two of yoga over the weekend and you will find that you are much more alert and energetic when you go back to work. Yoga for mental health will also help you become much more alert and mental alertness can help a lot as you go about you daily activities.

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Kristen Bell Explains There Is No Shame In Feeling Anxiety & Depression

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