Coping strategies for first-time parents
Being a new parent can be a daunting task, especially the first few months when sleep is hard to come by and parents may feel overwhelmed.
The first seminar in the Backus Education Department's Family Matters series, "Coping with the Stress of New Parenthood," will offer parents advice and resources to cope with infant parenting challenges.
Presenters Andrea Dameron, a nurse and Parent Educator for the Backus Hospital Birthing Center, and Alexandra Coley, a social worker with the Care Management Department. They will discuss topics such as post-partum depression and shaken baby syndrome.
"First-time parents may underestimate how life-altering having a child is," Ms. Coley said. "We will discuss challenges parents will face, and different things they can do to alleviate stress."
One of the topics will be post-partum depression. Ms. Dameron said 1 in 5 women have issues with postpartum depression and anxiety. "It is important to discuss it in an open forum and not just in the doctor's office," she said.
Ms. Coley said they will identify warning signs.
"Women may not realize what they are dealing with, they just feel that something isn't right, so it is important to make sure they have someone looking out for them as well," she said.
Ms. Coley said there are a lot of resources local parents can turn to, such as the Nurturing Families program, a collaboration between Backus and Madonna Place, and other classes offered at Backus.
The Family Matters series will be held the second Thursday of each month, September through June, from 6:30-8 p.m. Coming in October is "Communicating with your Child," featuring positive discipline strategies. Bonnie Tompkins and Alana Jones from the Parent Resource Team of Connecticut will discuss the "Love and Logic Philosophy."
If you want to go:
What: Family Matters: Coping with the Stress of New Parenthood
When: Thursday Sept. 10, from 6:30-8 p.m.
Where: Backus Hospital entry level conference rooms.
For more information or to register for the free program: Call 823-6313. Light refreshments are provided.