Latest Posts
#38: What to Expect in the Fourth Trimester
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #38: What to Expect in the Fourth Trimester with Meg & Carly of Fourth Trimester Foundations The "fourth trimester" is the term coined for the first 3 months after birth. Those first weeks are beautiful, memorable and...
#35: Postpartum Mental Health: Are These Feelings Normal? with Sherry Duson
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #35: Postpartum Mental Health: Are These Feelings Normal? with Sherry Duson Postpartum mental health is often a not-talked-about-enough topic. Most new parents experience up and down emotions in the first weeks and months...
#33: How to Break Negative Cycles in Parenting with Lorena Seidel
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #33: How to Break Negative Cycles in Parenting with Lorena Seidel, Joyful Parenting In this episode, we discuss parenting strategies that enable you to break free from negative cycles you may have experienced as a child....
#31: How New Parents Can Support Secure Attachment with Annie Brook
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #31: How New Parents Can Support Secure Attachment with Annie Brook, Therapist & Founder of the Brook Institute In this episode, Annie Brook and I explore ways to support secure attachment between parents and...
#29: How Motherly Helps New Mothers with Liz Tenety
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #29: How Motherly Helps New Mothers with Liz Tenety, Co-Founder of Motherly Liz Tenety, co-founder of Motherly, gives behind-the-scenes insight on trends, what she sees as a big source of struggles for new mothers,...
#28: Exploring Parenting Styles: RIE with Erica Orosco Cruz
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #28: Exploring Parenting Styles: RIE with Erica Orosco Cruz Finding your own personal parenting style when you first have a baby takes time. There are so many people and approaches to glean from as you find what...
#27: The 6 Stages of Parenting
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #27: The 6 Stages of Parenting with Ann McKitrick Just as our children are going through phases of development throughout their lives, we too are going through stages of parenting as our kid get...
Pregnancy Cookies
What’s the difference between a pregnancy cookie and a regular cookie? Do labor cookies really make your labor begin?
What Does A 10-Day Old Baby Look Like?
A 10-day old baby will present many different changes from when it was brought into the world. Here are some of the changes that you may want to watch out for…
How Infant Attachment is Formed Between Baby and Caretaker
While infant attachment is sometimes overlooked by some parents and caretakers, it matters to the baby’s communication development a lot. Here’s how the process usually begins and the reasons why it’s vital for the baby’s progress…
Baby Feeding Essentials Every Mom Needs
Having baby feeding essentials with you before the baby comes is important. For that reason, here’s a list of items you may want to get before the big day.
Newborn Care: Q&A
Every baby is unique, and you are the expert on your own child. I do everything based on a career in early childhood education, coaching early childhood teachers and parents.
Feeding Your Newborn Baby
How do you know if your little baby is taking in enough formula in order to get what they need nutritionally to grow? In this article, I will talk about some guidelines to follow that will help you decide on how much to feed your baby.
Labor Stories
I love labor and delivery stories. Every story has the features of an exciting docu-drama — the inklings of early labor, the wondering of “should I call the doctor?”, “should we just wait or go ahead and go?” The thrill of the birth and the flood of emotion that follows. Then the calm after the storm as everyone, including baby, begins the process of healing and resting up from the experience of labor/delivery and settles into the new life of being a family. One of my favorite labor stories comes from my friends, Glen and Laura.
How to make mom friends
When I became pregnant with my first I quickly realized how few friends I had in the same boat. The handful of friends I had with kids lived in different states and I found myself scrambling to find friends undergoing the same life transition. Having a community full...
Tips for new parents
5 tips for new parents Anytime you begin a new job there’s a period of orientation. And depending on the complexity of the work you’ll be doing, you might have months of training before you’re on your own with full responsibility. When you become a parent, while...
When Parenting Fears Overwhelm
I’ll never forget the stress I felt about miscarriage when I was pregnant. Every day I worried the pregnancy might end. I remember counting down the days to when I’d be past the first trimester, longing for it to come. I was sure once I made it past that date, my...
Becoming a parent
The moment a pregnancy test is positive or the foster/adoption approval comes through, you begin to wonder... What am I going to do? What does it feel like to be a parent? How will I be the same and how will I be different? Will I still be able to be spontaneous, do...
Parenting 101: Expectations vs reality
All I ever really wanted to be when I grew up was a mom. Like many little girls, I played 'house' all the time as a kid, treating my baby dolls with love and care, teaching them and handing out discipline when they needed it. As a teenager, I did lots of...
The things you can only enjoy when you’re pregnant…
Pregnancy is an amazing time. While there are definitely some discomforts along the way, let’s celebrate some really wonderful things that you can ONLY experience during pregnancy… Permission to focus on...
My Newborn Essential List
There are thousands of things you can buy for your baby. But what do you really NEED? Check out this list that talks about actual newborn necessities and nice-to have- items. Plus, a bonus list of helpful newborn items you won’t find on most registries.
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About Ann
I’m a child development specialist, parent coach and teacher trainer. I’ve cared for countless babies in child development programs, plus 3 kids, 3 grand babies and 5 foster babies! I LOVE babies and would come hold yours if I could. ❤️
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