According to a survey carried out by the brand of wipes WaterWipes among 500 Spanish parents, the words that best define the first 12 weeks with the baby are “tired”, “gratifying” and “overwhelming”.
Undoubtedly, a mixture of feelings and emotions so powerful that it makes it necessary to focus again on the importance of caring for the so-called “fourth trimester”, a process of adaptation to motherhood in which it is necessary to face new challenges and difficulties that arise after becoming parents.
Not knowing how to properly care for the baby, the main fear of parents in the first 12 weeks of life
According to the survey, what most worries the parents surveyed is, logically, the health and well-being of their baby . Thus, four out of ten say they are afraid of not knowing what their baby wants or needs at all times, while three out of ten would highlight the fear of not doing things right.
The subject of postpartum depression is another of the things that most distresses new parents. Not surprisingly, 29% of mothers claim to have felt alone during postpartum, and as a consequence of this loneliness and the worries and problems that arose during the baby’s first weeks of life, 32% admit to having suffered .
Perhaps these feelings could be mitigated if hospitals or health centers offered more information and support to new mothers, as is the case in other neighboring countries.
However, for six out of ten mothers, the information on postpartum received in the hospital was not enough to face the difficulties of the “fourth trimester”.
The pressure to breastfeed
The study also reveals that 49% of mothers feel judged and pressured to breastfeed their babies. Thus, for 34% of women this pressure comes from their own family, 25% say that it comes from other parents, 18% of pediatricians and 12% receive pressure from friends.
Let us remember that a recent study that we echoed related the pressure of the environment to breastfeed with a greater probability that the mother would end up presenting symptoms of depression two months after her postpartum.
“We know that parenthood is full of moments of uncertainty and we have a responsibility to honestly portray this period – both the good and the bad.”
“Too often we see perfect lives in the media and the reality is that most people do not identify. Fatherhood is complicated and we want to show it exactly as it is” – assures Sofia Guimarães, Brand Manager – EMEA of WaterWipes.
Why is helping the mother during the fourth trimester so important?
We know that the fourth trimester is a sensitive and special period, both for the baby that has already been born, and for the mother.
For the baby it is a stage of adaptation to life outside the womb , in which it is essential to attend to both his physical and emotional needs. But for the mother it is also an extremely vulnerable period, not only because she begins a totally new and unknown path until now (that of motherhood), but also because of the physical and emotional changes she undergoes, the difficulties she faces and the loss of routine, schedules and rest.
That is why it is extremely important to be informed about the implications of this crucial stage , ask for help when you need it, be realistic about expectations and, above all, be patient, since it is a process of adaptation and little by little. little things will get better.
It goes without saying that the father or partner should be the pillar on which the mother leans at any time, doing everything in her power to make this period as easy as possible.
Photos | iStock
Via | WaterWipes
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