The first month following the birth is poeti-cally referred to as Baby Moon. It is a time when a mother should allow herself to focus fully on her baby's first precious weeks of life. Also, it is these first few weeks of new motherhood which encompass some of the greatest changes and learning you and your family will go through in the realms of parenthood.
   I've mentioned before that there are body changes, mind changes and lifestyle changes which pregnancy and motherhood generate, and yet, as obvious as this is, so many women vigorously resist the lifestyle adaptations necessary for the best start to their baby's life. Perhaps this is because most people do not like their lives dictated to by parents, politicians, books such as this, let alone a little baby! Perhaps it is because they think such things don't really matter to

bring up. Keep remember-ing what it is your baby needs most: rhythm, warmth, quiet, love, constancy. By providing these things life will be smoother and the desire to run away will diminish. As well, in retrospect you may wish you had spent more time being intimate with your baby during these precious weeks.
   Be sure to create space both physical and emotional that allows you to find your own feet as a mother. Particularly for a first time mother there is the barrage of advice from professional and family quarters that threatens to overwhelm, confuse and undermine your best efforts. Watch out for health professionals and others who may want to do it for you. It is far more helpful if they support you in discovering how to do it for yourself. Advice should be welcomed and considered and merged with your own  intuition in the circumstances.

when human nature clashes with mother nature that the mother-child relationship begins to run into trouble.
   After the baby's birth the first few weeks are spent recuperating and re-adjusting. For both the mother and the baby, life has been changed radically in just a few hours. As the weeks pass and your baby gains greater consciousness, so does the mother. You begin to come out of what may seem like a deep sleep, reawakening to the world around you. But don't rush this "coming out". Let your baby be the guide of the rate at which this happens rather than you deciding too early to expose yourselves to the outside world. A common mistake many women make is to succumb to an early resumption of "normal life". This can lead to great unsettling of the baby and / or delay in full physical and emotional recupera-tion for the mother. Try not to run away from the uncomfortable feelings 
 

to guard against the substantial energy loss which can occur from other people wanting your time, and also to protect from any influences which may unsettle your baby.
   For a new mother, any offers of help must be carefully weighed against any interference in your own learning process, your own confidence building and times of being alone and intimate with the baby. Whilst having someone around to help with daily chores may be a good idea, this will be of far less benefit if the new mother is made to feel inadequate in her dealings with her own baby or if the helpers think that a chat over coffee and scones is the ideal form of relaxation for you. If you know you'll want lots of peace and quiet after the birth, make sure you tell your family and friends before the birth so that they will not react negatively to their exclusion afterwards.