Helpful Online Resources for New Moms
Carrying, delivering, and raising a child is a complex and important part of a new mom’s life. Moms want to be as informed as possible so they can make the best decisions regarding the health of their families. Throughout a mom’s pregnancy and the first months of her child’s life, she will often consult various resources to get the information she needs. Here are some of the best sources of information for new moms from around the web.
CafeMom – This is one the largest and most active online social communities for mothers. The users are friendly and helpful and they talk about all types issues, not just parenting.
La Leche League –This the premier source for breastfeeding help and education. Their information is accurate, up-to-date, and you can find local groups for individual help.
Kellymom – This site is informative in an easy-to-understand manner. You can easily search it and the list of resources at the end of every page makes deeper reading accessible.
MothersClick – More of a social networking site, but MothersClick is helpful if you’re looking to get anecdotal information real moms in a Facebook-life format.
Breastfeeding.com --The abundance of breastfeeding information, videos, and stories from breastfeeding moms make this site a great resource.
Mothering Magazine – This is an online magazine with features and forums for a range of mom topics, including natural birth, parenting, and nursing.
World Health Organization (WHO) – Leaders in the world’s health information, WHO offers all types of information on a myriad of health-related issues for new moms.
HealthyChildren.org – This site offers health, nutrition, and safety information from the American Academy of Pediatrics, and sort information by your child’s age and development level.
What to Expect – Run by the creators of the popular parenting book What to Expect When You’re Expecting, this website specifically targets new moms who are doing it all for the first time.
Consumer Product Safety Commission – If you’re new to the parenting world, you will want to become familiar with the CPSC, who reviews and rates baby products for safety.
International Lactation Consultant Association – If you are having trouble breastfeeding, it’s worth consulting with a lactation specialist to put you on the right path.
Work and Pump – Pumping at work can be a challenge for some women. This site offers tips and guides for making breastfeeding a career work.
BeFit-Mom – This site is a resource for promoting healthy living and exercise during pregnancy. It’s also offers information for getting your pre-pregnancy body back.
BabyCenter – If you have ever Googled a mom/parent/baby-related topic, one of the top results was probably BabyCenter. It offers an astounding selection of information and resources, many written by doctors, nurses, and professionals.
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Written by Stephanie Parker from Sleepingbaby.com, inventors of the Zipadee-Zip
The motto for Sleeping Baby, makers of the Zipadee-Zip, is: "Inspiring Dreams One Night at A time," and that, in a nutshell, is how it all started…with one little dream that has since become the Parker family's reality. When Brett and Stephanie Parker's daughter, Charlotte, was born, the feeling that welled up inside of them was indescribable; they never realized until first looking into those baby blues of hers that they were even capable of that kind of love.
When it was time to transition baby from swaddling, the Parkers tried every sleep sack on the market and every swaddle weaning trick they could find for nearly two weeks and nothing worked to get baby Charlotte to fall and stay asleep.
Stephanie became determined to restore sleep and sanity to their household and set out to find a solution that would soothe Charlotte's startle reflex and provide her the cozy womb-like environment she loved so much but still give her the freedom to roll over and wiggle around in her crib safely. Out of sheer desperation and exhaustion, the Zipadee-Zip was born. The first Zipadee-Zip(R) Stephanie put together on her little sewing machine worked like magic!
To date tens of thousands of Zipadee-Zips have been sold and all from word-of-mouth marketing. It is so rewarding for the Parkers to see other parents and babies getting the sleep they both need and deserve!
For more information, visit sleepingbaby.com.
Photo Credit: gcoldironjr2003 via Compfight cc