Happy Friday! We’re doing a lot of this around here…it’s really the best way to wind down from the holiday season. I hope your New Year is filled with the same!
1. First up on the five is a schedule for Postpartum Support International’s (PSI) weekly online support groups…
If you’re new to PSI, check out what they are all about here. If you know a mama that would benefit from their meetings or resources, please screenshot and share with them ASAP! One of my favorite things about PSI is that it is a free support available to everyone. Join one group or a few groups – whatever you need! I often tell mamas to just listen in their first time and not feel like they have to share their story, contribute or do anything else but be present 🙂
Want to print/screenshot the flyer for your fridge or to handout to patients? Go here!
2. Looking for a great cause to donate to? Consider donating diapers.
Lack of diapers (which are not covered by food stamps) can contribute to keeping a child out of daycare or a parent out of work!
3. Setting goals for the New Year? Set a goal to read aloud to your kids! I am the biggest fan of Sarah Mackenzie and her Read Aloud Revival podcast. Seriously, Sarah is a mama of six kiddos and homeschools – she’s my pandemic hero right now. And she has the best book recommendations that are sorted by children’s ages (thank YOU Sarah for doing all the work). Consider printing her calendar to check off the days you read aloud at home!
Were not that organized at our house but I try to read the kids 3-4 books at least each night before bedtime to meet a goal of at least 1000 books a year that are read aloud to them. I count any other reading we do during the day as bonus!
4. California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative’s YouTube channel. Oh the CMQCC – if you don’t know who they are, it’s a quality initiative in California to improve maternity care. I love the initiative because they actually publish toolkits, webinars and opportunities for quality improvement. For midwives or providers, I recommend their recent video on induction…
…or this video on severe maternal morbidity (was anyone else aware that 22% of pregnancies in CA are mamas greater than or equal to age 35?):
I’ve been a nurse for 12 years and burnout is a real issue in nursing (more to come on burnout next week!). But the profession of nursing is a hotbed for suicide risk factors – even before the COVID-19 pandemic. More than ever, the profession must take care of their own. As your setting goals for the new year, make sure your taking a look at your resiliency as well. And never be afraid to ask someone if they have had thoughts of harming or hurting themselves and then leading them to help.
Other fun goodies:
- These yummy breakfast ides! Check out these yummy ideas from Thriving Home – I’m eyeing the homemade cinnamon rolls and overnight gingerbread French toast (although I can personally vouch for the blueberry avocado muffins and egg casserole muffins).
- 5 open ended questions to ask your kids about the books they’re reading! This is simple but goes right along with Sarah McKenzie’s thought that you need three things to be successful at parenting: prayer, read aloud and conversation.
- Have you seen/heard of newborn swaddle bathing? Check out these posters for a review of benefits – decreased stress and crying, a more stable heart rate and better parent satisfaction!
- This pumpkin cheesecake recipe! So yummy. My mama made some for Thanksgiving and I turned around and made the recipe again for Christmas. I also may have eaten the entire second one by myself.
- January is National Blood Donor month! If you’re wondering how you can help in a small way during a global pandemic – consider giving blood! The American Red Cross cites that only 38% of the population is a candidate to donate blood…but only 10% do. WOW. Visit the Red Cross here to fins a donation center.
- Do you have a child with disabilities or know someone who does? Some people don’t realize that they are a candidate for assistance but challenges like low birth weight, development disorders, blindness and other cognitive or physical disabilities can be eligible! Check out the Social Security’s Administration’s booklet on Benefits for Children with Disabilities for more info.
- And lastly, a book recommendation. I just finished this one with my sister. We started a book book club between two of us and alternate choosing a book each month. December’s book was Calling Me Home and I finished it with tears in my eyes. Honestly, it’s a story about a couple that faces all the odds and is told from the present and past perspectives. The author weaves the characters together in a weave that continues to pull the reader in until the last chapter. The end was not what I thought it was and I was genuinely surprised at the ending – I also love that in a book.
The RESOURCES and MAKE MORE MIDWIVES pages were updated with new goodies…That’s it for the Five – Happy New Year everyone!
Jamie
Want more?
1 year ago on the blog… My First Birth Story
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