A Parent’s Holiday Wishlist: 10 Things Parents Actually Need

Nov 1

Written By Anne Paterson, IBCLC, CD(DONA)

We give so much of ourselves to our children because we want the absolute best for them. This often comes at the expense of our own mental and physical health, or our relationship with ourselves and our partners.

Check out some of our favorite wishlist items (in no particular order) to nourish ourselves this holiday season and all year long:

AN ACTUAL VILLAGE

Number 1 on our list is an Actual Village. From preconception to pregnancy to childbirth and beyond, there are often so many questions. We are meant to be in community and to learn from each other, but we often find ourselves with incomplete knowledge or even just not knowing who or what to ask. Our community offers so many wonderful resources including pregnancy, new parent and lactation support groups, childbirth, newborn and parent education, and many other prenatal and postpartum practitioners supporting your mind and body.

We have midwives, acupuncturists, herbalists, educators, chiropractors, doulas, CST’s, nutritionists, IBCLC’s, mental health providers, newborn care specialists, physical therapists, placenta encapsulators, yoga teachers and postpartum care specialists as member practitioners. You are not alone. We are here to support you, to be a part of your village.

AN EXTRA SET OF HANDS

We do so much to prepare for childbirth - it is, after all, a major life change. Planning for the postpartum period is just as, or maybe even more important. There’s so much we can do to prepare for the 4th trimester, but we don’t have to do it alone. There are wonderful resources, like postpartum doulas and newborn care specialists that can help while you heal your body and transition into this new version of your family. Meal and cleaning services can also provide much needed extra hands during this time.

A NERVOUS SYSTEM RESET

Bodywork is a great addition to support healing and recovery after childbirth and the benefits are essential for long-term health and recovery. Craniosacral therapy (CST) and other bodywork can be a wonderful way to reset your nervous system. CST helps optimize many internal systems in the body.

HORMONE HEALTH

Whether you are not yet thinking about children, experiencing difficulty conceiving, pregnant, early postpartum, or starting a perimenopausal journey and beyond, you can find support for your hormone health right here in our community. ORIGIN’s wonderful practitioners can support you through nutrition, acupuncture, and chinese herbal medicine.

A RELAXING MASSAGE

Massage therapy can aid in recovery from injury, surgery and stress, among other things. Our massage therapists specialize not only in recovery and stress relief for the whole family, but have certifications in prenatal and postnatal massage, as well as energy work through Reiki.

A CHIROPRACTIC ADJUSTMENT

Everyone in the family can benefit from chiropractic adjustments. If you’re pregnant, chiropractic care can help keep the pelvis in proper alignment for optimal positioning of baby for delivery. If you’re postpartum, chiropractic support can help strengthen and realign your body, restore and strengthen your pelvic floor, spine and core. Chiropractic care can be helpful for babies, kiddos and partners too, including helping to address some breastfeeding challenges, colic GERD/reflux, torticollis, sleep challenges, sensory processing, sports injuries and so much more. ORIGIN members are trained to support everyone in the family from birth on.

CONFIDENCE AS YOU FEED YOUR BABY

Feeding our kids is HARD. No kid is the same, information is coming at us from trusted family, close friends, late night internet searches, parent groups, social media - everywhere. It’s hard to know what is right and what is wrong. We are here to support you as you navigate what’s best for you and your family. We have nutrition specialists, IBCLC’s (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant) and support groups where you can find community and extra support for breastfeeding, bottle feeding and just generally feeding your kid.

DAILY NOURISHMENT

We could all benefit from having additional support to adequately nourish ourselves and our children in today's modern world. Fatigue, bloating, sleepless nights, irregular cycles, mood swings, weight gain, fertility struggles, etc are often widely accepted as part of being a parent. With more information, the right tools and a little guidance, our body can heal.

A HEALTHY PELVIC FLOOR

Whether you are preparing for birth or recovering, a healthy pelvic floor is and important part of a healthy body. Parents deserve to workout, play with our kids and have great sex in comfort. Let’s break it down a bit… Although it can be common postpartum, sex should NEVER be painful! Whether it is discomfort with initial insertion or deep penetration, this is not normal. Pelvic Floor physical therapists are the experts in treating pain with sex. Once sex is pain free, then we can focus on pleasure. An orgasm is a massive pelvic floor contraction - your pelvic floor needs to be in good health to reach climax. If you are struggling with painful sex, or it is unenjoyable, give yourself the gift of pelvic floor therapy.

YOGA

Bringing movement to your body can improve your physical and mental health no matter what stage of life you’re in. Our yoga teacher brings knowledge of many ancient practices to traditional yoga teachings for those seeking prenatal support to those that just want more movement in their days.

Check the ORIGIN Provider Directory for practitioners right here in our community to help support you and your holiday wishlist.

Anne Paterson, IBCLC, CD(DONA)

I am a certified birth doula with DONA International and a Certified Lactation Counselor (ALPP), studying to become an IBCLC.

I am in awe of the human body and believe that birthing people are absolutely incredible as they grow life and bring it Earthside. Ever since I can remember, I have felt drawn to pregnancy and the birthing experience, but it wasn’t until I delivered my first kiddo that I knew I wanted all birthing people to feel empowered to own their experience and have it be what they desire. I want to help birthing people come away from their experience in labor, birth and the months and years following, to feel supported and seen.

I am passionate about supporting the growing families in our community and am honored to be considered as a part of your support network.

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