Love is in the air... or not!

You've had quite the ride! 

• So you have just brought a new life into the world (probably about 12 hours of active labour or a C-Section), started lactating (probably a big adjustment) and started getting used to sleeping for only 1-2 hours at a time. 
• You have had multiple visits from family , friends, relatives and your lovely in-laws. 
• In your free time, you struggle with the decision to eat, sleep or have a shower. 
• It is likely that you have a case of the post partum blues if not post partum depression. 
• The house is turned upside down and the laundry machine as a constant hum in the background. 
• You are into the routine now, but part of you is struggling with the transition you just made. 
• You probably really should not be driving with the few hours of sleep you have had!
• Your relationship with your spouse is likely not at its strongest, best or most romantic it has ever been. A little bickering, a lot of bickering, we're all just so tired. Issues seem bigger than they are, or do they? Need some perspective here.

It is a tough time in any new parents life. It is all exacerbated by lack of sleep and a huge transition physically, hormonally, and psychologically. With February 14 (Valentines Day) coming up, you might want to consider doing a little investment in the relationship with your spouse. 

There is a new company that focuses on relationships during this massive transition.  The name of the company is The Relationship Resource.  www.therelationshipresource.ca  Amy Marshall operates this program and has extensive experience working for Alberta Health Services specializing in therapy and mental health. (Something we all need!) She has worked with individuals, couples and families at all ages and stages of development. 

I found motherhood to be a really tough transition. It impacted the foundation of who I am. I now had multiple relationships to manage as well as trying to develop a new and different sense of self while sleep deprived. This changing relationship with my spouse was akin to walking across a field of landmines. It would have been handy to have a 'metal detector-equivalent.'  We invested heavily in our relationship and have never looked back. I found the period when my children were between 3 - 6 months to be the worst.  So for this valentines day, why not invest in your spousal relationship. Check out her website and give her a call. Amy Marshall can be reached at 403-461-6488.

Skip the roses... invest in the course!

Chat/blog soon, 

Paula

Paula Says...My very first Blog

So I was having a coffee today with a friend at Phil and Sebastians new coffee abode in Marda loop and felt very 'uber hipster'.  We talked about 'A Baby Guide to Calgary' and my website www.babyguidetocalgary.com. She effectively said;

'Paula, get with the program, websites are so... 2005. Blogs are it! It is time you came into the 2010s.' 

She continued waxing poetic about all blogging, twitter, apple TV, something-ware, avi files and used may words that I had rarely ever heard before. it felt like a moment out of Back to the Future. I've been living in a little glass box in 2005! Frozen in time from when my kids were born.  There is another world out there that I am not really familiar with. I guess I have been too busy with kids, family, book, and making a living. This new world is like a new mountain to be conquered. 


I have had a transition like this before with cars.  My first car was a light blue 1970 Honda Civic that spit black smoke out the exhaust. Each day on my commute to University, I would pull into a garage and take out each spark plug and clean off the oil and gunk and put them back in.  Now as I gaze into my own car, I am really not all that sure where the spark plugs are located!  It appears that I skipped the evolution and am now dependent on hoping that the car works as it should.  As for televisions, DVD's PVR's and oh so many remote controls, I am now a victim of the technology and so dependent on others for assistance to turn on the TV. I remember as a teenager putting a calculator in place of the remote control and watching as my mother tried to turn on the television with the calculator.  Perhaps this is life getting me back for those terrible laughs I had at her expense. 


So here it is... my first Blog!  I am coming in to the 2010s in style.  Here is a new way to help new moms and dads navigate their new roles as parents of babies and toddlers. I hope to keep you up to date with some of the services, resources and activities around Calgary. Also, perhaps we can touch on some of the softer issues of motherhood/parenthood in Calgary.  A way of reaching out to support one another. 


Join the fun and I hope to blog again soon. 


Cheers!
Paula