Anger is a universal emotion yet one that most people struggle with in some way. New mothers can expect of themselves to feel only positive, loving feelings toward their baby and can experience guilt and shame when they feel surges of anger toward their inconsolably crying baby or about the loss of personal space and … Continue reading Anger and Tantrums

Older babies and toddlers can have sudden surges of excitement, frustration, and anger that they cannot express in a modulated way. Without language to mediate their impulses, they can at times express strong feelings through biting. For example, a nine month old baby who is playing with her mother’s face gets over-excited and suddenly bites … Continue reading Biting

 Feeding, like so many parenting issues, presents new mothers and fathers with many choices and evokes a variety of feelings. Parents need to decide between breast feeding and bottle feeding or both, whether they prefer to feed their baby on a schedule or on demand, when to introduce solid foods and, later on, how to … Continue reading Breast and Bottle Feeding

Setting limits for one’s child is one of the most challenging tasks in parenting. The profusion of books and techniques on the subject bespeaks parents’ need for guidance and support. Although many books lay out sound principals about discipline and limit setting, a book cannot tailor an approach specifically for you and your child. Often … Continue reading Discipline and Setting Limits

Everyone knows that all babies cry, indeed that babies have to cry. “Exercising the lungs” is necessary, parents are told. In reality, however, it is not easy to hear one’s baby cry, especially if he or she is not quick to be soothed. Some parents become distressed along with their baby if they cannot figure … Continue reading My Baby’s Crying

When you were expecting, did you ever wonder whether your baby would really have ten fingers and ten toes? Did you trust that your body would just know how to “grow” something as complex as a human being and did you worry that something might go wrong? Many parent wonder, “How can I be sure … Continue reading My Child’s Development

When a woman becomes a mother, her own mother’s (or significant maternal figure’s) importance in her life is renewed and intensified. Suddenly, in addition to being her mother’s daughter, she is also herself a mother to her baby. Feeling responsible for one’s baby’s life, growth, and development can be exhilarating and terrifying. As the new … Continue reading My Mother, My Baby, & Me

Becoming a mother is a life changing experience that is filled with excitement and wonder but also brings up overwhelming feelings, doubts and confusion. Yet new mothers often struggle with an expectation that they should experience only positive feelings.  As a result, new mothers may feel alone with their questions and anxieties. They turn to … Continue reading New Mothers

For all new mothers, the period after birth (postpartum) is a time of huge life change and psychological adjustment. In addition to feeling great excitement and wonder about their new baby, all women also experience more difficult feelings in the postpartum period. Sudden hormonal shifts and sleep deprivation can create mood swings and crying jags. … Continue reading Postpartum Anxiety and Depression

From the moment the umbilical cord is cut, you are aware that your child is separate from you. But because this tiny, vulnerable being is at first totally dependent on you for his or her survival, and because you and your baby are so wrapped up in each other, it may feel to you that … Continue reading Separation

Problems and concerns around the issue of sleep bring many parents to UWS Parenting Support. All those who work with parents and infants and toddlers know the effects on the whole family, including the marital relationship, of a baby or toddler who cannot sleep. The problem is magnified in a single parent home where there … Continue reading Sleep

The Oxford dictionary definition of weaning is “to manage without something to which one has become dependent or excessively fond.” In the first three years of your child’s life, the two usual areas of weaning are shifting from the breast and/or bottle to a cup, and giving up or reducing dependence on the pacifier. These … Continue reading Weaning

We believe that children can thrive, whether they have stay-at-home moms or working moms. Our goal is to help each mother find what works best for her and her family. The issue of working versus staying at home with your child raises many questions and feelings for mothers, in particular for new mothers. Whether a … Continue reading Work or Stay at Home