A letter to All New Parents

Dear new parent, first of all, congratulations! You have just started an incredible new journey. During your parenting journey, you will learn, grow, cry, and your heart will expand bigger than you ever thought possible. Today we are writing a letter to all new parents, to you!

Embrace the unknown

As you may have learned already, there is so much unknown in parenthood, especially in your first year. There is one thing that is certain when you think you have something figured out; it will change! That is OKAY. Trust the process, and try and greet every new day as just that, a new day! Remember to be flexible with your baby, partner, and yourself and embrace the unknown!

Remember to care for yourself too

Self-care is important! No, we are not talking about spa vacations and golf trips. We are talking about showering, eating, and having moments where you can do something just for you. Self-care could be: reading your favorite book for half an hour, taking a walk, calling a friend, etc. It doesn’t matter what it is, but make sure it’s some form of self-care. Your care is essential, and you deserve it!

Community is important

It truly does take a village. Having a community of others in a similar life stage can be hugely beneficial during your first year as a parent. We know that currently, this is hard. Online communities can be great and can help to feel a bit of togetherness. If you are in Santa Cruz, or the Bay Area please consider joining our online support groups, Bay Area Pregnancy and Postpartum, or Santa Cruz Pregnancy and Postpartum.

You WILL sleep again

Babies are known for many, many things; allowing for a great night’s sleep is not one of them. You most likely will be getting far less sleep in the first year than before. We know this feels HARD. It may feel like you will never get good rest again, but you will. It takes time. Try to come up with a night routine that allows both your partner and you to get some good sleep at one point in the night. If this isn’t possible, consider hiring a postpartum doula to help with night support. You will sleep again!

Celebrate the positive moments

This first year will be a wild ride; there may be many ups and downs. Please try and remember to celebrate the joyous moments, the fun moments, and the silly moments. There will be many! Try and remember to celebrate yourself and your partner too.

Too much support is better than not enough!

Support is essential during this process. There are many different kinds of support to choose from, including friends, family, nannies, or doula support. We recommend a combination of them. Reaching out for extra help when things feel tough is so important. Should you ever want or need some professional support, please reach out via the Bay City Doulas website. We are here to help.

We hope you enjoyed our blog this week—a letter to all new parents. For more great tips on all things parenthood, pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, check out our weekly blog.