Pregnancy produces the absolute most precious being a woman could ever ask for. It also can produce some rather unfortunate side effects on a woman’s body. During pregnancy, a woman begins to notice a difference almost immediately all over and inside her body, long before she can feel even the slightest motion from the baby within.

Skin

One of the worst victims of pregnancy is your skin. It makes sense that the belly would grow to accommodate the baby developing within, and of course the skin on the belly must stretch as well, but pregnancy is a full body experience. That means that it is highly likely you will grow everywhere – at least a little bit.

Unfortunately, even an extra inch or two around your thighs and hips may result in nasty stretch marks. That’s not to mention the stretch marks so many women get on their stomachs and breasts. (Breasts can grow more rapidly the belly!) Since your skin is taking a beating, give it the love and pampering it deserves. Deluxe skin care such as the special creams to treat those stretch marks can make a difference in how you feel and how your skin looks both during and after pregnancy.

Swelling

One of the most common symptoms of pregnancy is swelling. Some women swell a bit in their hands and feet, and others seem to keep a full cushion of water present on the body at all times. Of all the swelling that occurs, only the size of your feet, and possibly your hands is permanent. The rest is simply one more uncomfortable aspect to bear until delivery.

Help ease the swelling by drinking plenty of fluids, resting as often as possible and massaging the affected areas with lotions designed for pregnant women. This not only helps reduce a bit of the swelling, but relieves the tension and aches of the day as well.

Aches and Pains

It is not until about halfway through pregnancy that you begin to take note of just how much of your body is affected by the baby inside. Suddenly, a routine walk through the neighborhood is making your feet ache, your back hurt, and causing random shooting pains in your inner thighs.

Ligaments are loosing throughout pregnancy, and as you approach the end, you need to treat yourself with kid gloves. Your hip bones are spreading, the weight of your belly is making your back arch, and your feet have to bear all the weight. It can be a heavy burden to bear, so take a break and just rest with your poor feet up as often as possible.

New parents are often a bit (or very) overwhelmed by all that a new baby entails. No matter how many books or websites you’ve read, there are always things that throw you for a loop. Times like these require the real expert, someone who’s been there before and survived – the grandmother.

The Grandmother

Many women wait anxiously to be a grandmother once their own children are raised and out of the nest. A grandmother has a chance to enjoy and love another child as much as she did her own, but with the knowledge she gained over years as well as the ability to send the baby home at the end of the visit. Grandmothers are critical for many new parents in terms of knowledge and support.

Grandmother’s Knowledge

Grandmothers may not know the absolute latest scientific breakthroughs, but they know what aspects of that new baby came from you. Perhaps your little one has colic the same way you did. Countless times grandmothers have been called for frantic reassurance that everything your baby is doing is perfectly normal and, in fact, you did it yourself as a baby.

Grandmothers have also been through the childrearing process at least once – she had you, didn’t she? Some things just come back naturally when an experienced mother of any age has a child placed in her arms. Your mother may surprise you with her uncanny ability to soothe a fussy baby, whip up a bottle in lightning time and elicit a burp you were sure would never come out. Better yet – she can teach you these tricks of the trade.

Grandmother’s Support

For many new parents, their child is much too precious to be left with just anyone. One of the few universal caregivers accepted by new parents is the grandmother. After all, she’s done this successfully before. The same can’t be said for the teenager across the street. Grandmothers are sure to love and snuggle our baby as much as she need to be loved and snuggled, and grandmothers have no problem sitting with baby in the rocking chair for hours on end – in fact, that may be exactly what she wanted to do in the first place.

There is really no substitute for grandparents. Not only did your parents love you with their whole being, but now that you have your own child, you can truly appreciate the depth of that caring. The best part of the deal is, however, not only does your mother still love you with all her heart, body and soul- she loves your baby just as much.

It takes love (or at least passion) to make a child together, so why does that love and passion seem to disappear as soon Junior arrives? Where does the love go?

Changing Roles

Often new parents have an identity crisis when their child is born. The mother is transformed from a hot chick with great make-up and hair to a frazzled new mom who’s lucky to even wash her hair on a regular basis, much less try to figure out how to disguise the last ten stubborn pounds of baby weight. She’s probably tired much of the time and would rather sleep soundly than do anything else in the bed.

New dads are desperate to find an anchor in their shifting world. Their adoring wives suddenly adore and spend all available time with the other man (or woman) in the house. Dad may be upset with his sudden attention loss, and it doesn’t help that his previously hot mama is now someone’s mom. Stress of a young child can also be a killer for both parents.

These roles can be hard to overcome for both parents, but it can be done, and it must be done to protect the security of the relationship that made the child in the first place.

Focus on What’s Important

The first step is for both parents to realize what is important. A couple in love makes a baby, and the baby should be an asset to the marriage, not a liability. Sure, a new baby is stressful, but couples that are able to lean on each other and lovingly support each other are much better off – as are their children.

You want to be happy together, so it’s important to discuss it together. What are both partners missing? Mom may want support, conversation and a willing ear to listen to her concerns and accolades of the little wonder. Dad may be missing the bedroom magic that made the little wonder in the first place. Yelling about it or hoping the other person will just figure it out is an unreliable solution – especially since all attention in the house is focused on baby.

Develop an Action Plan

The best way to put the love back into the relationship is to force it back in. Romance might come back on its own, but it may not. Like anything else with new children, you might find it best to schedule romance, at least as first.

Find a babysitter or put baby to bed a bit early one night. Arrange a nice dinner and turn off the television. Force yourself to talk about things other than your baby. Find ways to be physical – a hug, a kiss, a back rub can all go a long way toward loosening up again and might even lead to a bit of bedroom romance as well. Schedule time together at least once a week, even if it’s just an hour of watching a favorite show together. Every little bit helps and communication is definitely the key!

In history and still in some societies today, family units lived and worked side by side. In many industrialized countries, however, these family units have separated and children may be separated by hundreds or thousands of miles from their grandparents. Despite the distance, this relationship between grandchildren and their grandparents is much too valuable to write off. Parents and grandparents must find a way to bridge the gap.

The Power of a Relationship

Grandparents have a special place in the hearts of their grandchildren. The older generation has succeeded in raising the next, and is now able to simply enjoy the fruits of their labor. The difficulties of parenthood are left to children’s parents, and grandparents relish the role of being nurturing, loving adults who might have a tendency to spoil their grandkids just a bit.

Children learn from adults, and the more contact they have with adults at varying ages, the more developed their personal experiences will be. By interacting with grandparents, children are able to gain knowledge about events and lives before their own existence as well as gain perspective on basic communication skills. Of course, the greatest gift grandparents offer children is a bit more of that precious, unconditional love we all so desperately need.

Ways to Bridge the Gap

But what do you do when grandparents live hundreds or even thousands of miles away? They may not be around for routine fishing trips or cuddles. How do they stay involved? Fortunately, there are solutions – some old, some new.

In the not too distant past, phone calls, letters and visits were the standard procedures for families separated by distance. Today these methods are still highly effective, but technology has opened new avenues of communication. Emails, digital photos and videos, chat and instant messaging as well as video conferencing can help bridge the gap as well.

Communication is the key to building a relationship, especially a long distance one. Even infants can now see and “speak” with their grandparents over video phones or through the computer. Grandparents can stay up with all the latest happenings with grandchildren through digital pictures, blogs or even websites set up specifically for this purpose.

Older children chat online or speak on the phone with grandparents on a regular basis to build relationships. Other grandparents are regular correspondents with their grandkids via email. The same stories and advice can be given through a personal conversation in person, on the phone or through the computer. Staying connected is key.

Travel is still the only way to physically bring grandparents and grandchildren together. Fortunately, there are a great many travel options available and extended family vacations have gained substantially in popularity. Taking the entire family on a cruise or camping trip at a midpoint between the two homes gives everyone time to bond while having fun. Inexpensive flights make it possible for either side to drop in for a weekend or at the last minute.

Even if travel is out of the question, it is extremely possible, and even probable that a close relationship will be built if both parties work at it and stay connected. Phone, email, chat and websites are great, but they are simply a means to do what is most important - share thoughts and love with the people we care about the most, family.

The world is full of mothers and not all of them fit the stereotypical role model. Sure there are still plenty of June Cleavers out in the world with minivans and pearls, but plenty of nontraditional mothers are stepping up and getting the job done as well.

Most individuals with children will agree that nurturing and raising a child is one of the most challenging and rewarding things you can do. Nothing is predictable and everything can, and does, change in an instant. Mothers are generally considered to be the all-knowing and all-powerful being in a household with the power to assign a timeout and magically heal boo-boos with a kiss at the same time.