My little baby boy is one month old. It has been a wild and wonderful few weeks… it’s amazing that so many people have been through this epic process of birthing and tending to a newborn. It really is difficult to comprehend that something so incredibly beautiful and challenging is such a routine and common experience that so many people share.
It’s also amazing to go through this journey in the era of public blogs, facebook, and easy email access. In general, I had not been in the habit of putting my personal business out there in the social media arena as much as some of my friends and colleagues. I didn’t blog or publish posts about my pregnancy, nor did I announce Baby N’s birth on facebook the moment it happened.
And yet dear friends, loving neighbors, thoughtful colleagues, sweet fans, and even distant acquaintances asked after me, and the baby, and sent cards and gifts right away!! Word travels quickly–and I became ignited to begin sharing and spreading my personal news with all these people who were reaching out to me and my newly expanded family.
Public displays of news and affection are a weird and also wonderful recent phenomenon. I never thought I’d be “that guy” who’d be posting blogs about her newborn’s recent weight gain. But it suddenly feels right and good to go for it with the postings. I might not have opened up to this process if it hadn’t been for the openness that all of our well wishers offered immediately after my baby’s birth.
I commented that it was surreal to share this lovely moment in our family’s life so publicly. My friend Nina commented “It never really occurred to me until now how FB changes the whole dynamic of this kind of occasion in one’s life. Take comfort in knowing that many of us are taking great joy in your family joy.”
Just like my new little frog who loves to be held and to hang out in my sling or my husband’s baby carrier, I feel supported and tended to by my community of friends far and wide.
We need each other. Facebook is a part of our lives. Of course it makes sense to put our needs and our current modes of communication together.
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Shannon, I just couldn't agree more. The first few months of Maeve's little life were by far the most challenging I'd ever experienced. As an 'unconventional' parent, I found it difficult to find local support for exclusive breastfeeding, cosleeping, baby wearing, baby food making, and just general, gentle parenting. My very best friend lived in Colorado and without email and phone support, I never would've made it. I met several wonderful women in an online nursing support group who remain friends to this day. The support our digital world provided was priceless. Now that we are pregnant with our second baby, I expect to find more support from Facebook, etc, as we tackle cloth diapering!
And, of course, there's nothing wrong with a public forum for general gushing and glowing about all Baby's wonderful adventures and achievements. 😉
Thanks for the encouragement, Corrina. Yay for babywearing, co-sleeping, breastfeeding, food-making, and attentive parenting!
The Diaper Lab in Somerville (they also have a location in Spokane, WA.. and are available online) has been a terrific resource for us with cloth diapering. With the right materials and support it's super easy. You can get the more affordable covers with cloth inserts for daily wear—but do pop for the all-in-ones for late night changes. Just as easy as disposables!