Parenting Begins Before Birth
We often refer to the “arrival” of a baby as if this little one doesn’t yet exist or they are going to magically appear from some other place at birth. However, just because a baby is still inside the womb doesn’t mean they are not “here.” Nobody understands this better than the person sharing their body for nine months, give or take. And there are so many things to be done, lifestyle adjustments to be made, to accommodate this new human. Parenting doesn’t begin at birth, it begins as soon as a person takes on the commitment- whether through the acceptance of their own pregnancy or the many paths to adoption. It’s never too early (or too late!) to contemplate your parenting values, consider issues that may arise and how you may handle them, and find sources of support as you navigate the experience. And of course, if you are partnered, start an ongoing discussion.
In the check-in portion of our prenatal yoga practice, we often get into parenting topics of all sorts: finding time for yourself while meeting the needs of your children, positive discipline, finding childcare, work/home balance are just a few examples. Recently, we exchanged the titles of a few of our favorite parenting books. Timeless parenting classics, I was able to pull them right off the bookshelf holding my laptop and show the titles other people were recommending!
Here are the books that came up in that class that evening:
And here are a couple others I have found to be helpful over the years:
Being in community with other new parents, if only just to commiserate, has been a very useful tool for me as a parent. I can confidently say most of my students would agree. Sharing book recommendations is just the tip of the iceburg. Parenting begins from the very beginning of pregnancy- connecting with others in a non-judgmental space like prenatal yoga is a fantastic way to start the journey off right.