No matter how a new child enters your life, it will be overwhelming. As prepared as you may be, anything can happen. Remember you are not alone and help is available.

What do you really need to create a warm and loving space in your home for your baby? When you visit any store or website, it is easy to be overwhelmed by the sheer volume and cost of things available.

There is so much information out there about how to parent. Learning to hear your inner voice both before and after the baby comes can help you listen to and trust your own instincts.

When a new baby enters a family’s life, everything changes. It’s like a carefully constructed jigsaw puzzle has been thrown up into the air and needs to be put back together, but now the picture has changed.

Because parenting isn’t always pretty… sometimes the best we can do is just show up.

Contributors Val Laycock and Sara Norris have a candid conversation about self-care as a parent. Together, they discuss the real challenges and the real need for adding moments to care for ourselves so we can care for our children.

Our Christmas isn’t big or full of presents (they each get one) but for me, it’s exactly what I want my children’s memories to be filled with. My hope is that from it, they carry love and warmth and light with them out of this season and into the next.

There is a growing body of research that is paying closer attention to the phenomenon of our body’s reaction to nature. This effect, of feeling better when feeling connected to the natural world (whether it be experienced through a window, a video, a painting, or a walk), is called the biophilia theory. It’s a theory that suggests we have evolution to thank for our reason to seek out nature experiences.

Part of the research being compiled is coming out of the practice of shinrin-yoku in Japan. Shinrin-yoku is literally translated as Forest Bathing.

How is sharing your story a form of self-care? Kathleen Bowen from the Center for Biography and Social Art shares what can happen when we take time to pause and look at the story of our lives.

Contributor, Nancy Macalaster talks about the importance of self-care in the first three months.

Contributor, Nancy Macalaster shares the three important connections to create and maintain the first three months of your baby’s life.

If you're a mom, most likely you are juggling caring for your child or children, your home, perhaps a spouse and as if this isn’t enough you may also be holding down a job outside of this work. And this is the short list! One question: where in this list is there time for taking care of yourself? Mamas, can you relate? What if I told you you can have it all including the time it takes to put yourself first on this list, allowing for more ease, peace, and joy in all the other areas? Now do I have your attention?  

The moment a new baby enters your life, no matter the circumstances, everything changes and there is a lot that goes into adjusting. This can look different for each of us, but the one thing that is always the same is the need for support.

Ashley is a certified cooperative childbirth educator, birth and postpartum doula, and lactation counselor. She is the founder of Birthsmarter, which provides relevant and inclusive education for expectant parents living in NYC and virtually, across the world. With over a decade of experience supporting new parents, Ashley provides one-on-one support, group classes, lectures, and distance learning for the perinatal population and the professionals who serve them.

Listen as Hannah and Kelty share their experience and wisdom around navigating the changes that take place in the family when a new baby comes. They will share tips and tricks around how to prepare ahead of time… both emotionally and in the home environment. They also share insights on what to expect and how to address what can come up once the baby is home and older children undergo the process of adjusting to life with a new sibling.

Listen as Susan Weber and Nancy Macalaster share the history of the parent support work they began over 20 years ago at Sophia’s Hearth Family Center in Keene, NH. Listen as they share about the inspiration and motivation behind reviving and revitalizing this work into an online community for all those who share their lives with young children, aged pre-birth to three.

Hear where Joyful Beginnings is headed from Executive Director, Karen Lamoureux and Program Director, Laura Beatty.

Working as a partner in parenting, the Joyful Beginnings online community offers encouragement and support through the challenges, while also helping parents and caregivers gain confidence in their abilities, bond deeply with their children, and find the moments of joy.