Pharmacist
I remember when my youngest son was suffering from a cold or allergies on a Saturday morning and our doctor’s office was closed so I went into a pharmacy in our area and headed straight for the children’s cold and allergy medication. I was overwhelmed with the amount of medication choices and I wasn’t sure what I could safely give my son. He was two years old at the time and there weren’t very many medication options that were safe to give him or I needed to contact his doctor for proper dosage. I decided to ask the pharmacist a question. I was able to ask the pharmacist what was medication was safe to give my son for his allergy like symptoms and cough after I told him how old he was and how much my son weighed. The pharmacist took the time out of his busy schedule and came out onto the sales floor to show me what was safe to give my son. A pharmacist isn’t a licensed doctor but they have extensive knowledge of all of the medications and what is safe or unsafe for children.
Social Parenting App From Smart Mom
I recently started following Smart Mom‘s blog on Triberr and love all of the content that they have been sharing on their blog. I discovered that they have a wonderful community available on iTunes(hopefully they will be on the Andriod Platform soon). Their community is filled with new moms, seasoned moms, and parents who love helping and sharing their knowledge with others. If you have a question, simply ask the question and get answers immediately from other parents. You can ask questions about products and get immediate feedback (ie a particular stroller or carseat), breastfeeding, getting your baby to sleep on a schedule, or any other question that you need answered quickly.
Just remember that if you do ask a medical question, the people who answer you may not be a health care provider and you should always ask your child’s doctor if you have any health concerns. Always dial 911 immediately if your child has a life threatening condition that need immediate medical attention instead of asking other mom’s or searching Google.
The app is also a great way to find other moms, dads, or parents in your area that are looking for play dates. Just reach out and see if there are any other parents in your local area. I know that once I became a mom it was harder to find new friends so scheduling a play date is a great way to meet other moms who could potentially become a new friend for both you and your child.
If your child has a special need, you can even connect with other parents who have children with the same diagnosis. It is a great way to get support from people who understand what you are going through.
Download Smart Mom App on Itunes.
My Pregnancy Today App from Baby Center
There a ton of other great resources for new parents on the Internet, including my own blog. Whenever, I had questions during my pregnancy I always saved them for my OB appointments but I love using the My Pregnancy Today app from Baby Center to see what other women who were expecting around the same time that I was due with my baby. I found that it was often filled with some drama, which is a huge turn off for me but when you have a bunch of pregnant women together, you kinda expect there to be some drama. I just steered clear of those posts and read the ones that I was interested in.
WebMd
I also use WebMd to find answers to my diagnosis, search symptoms for a specific illness, or to search for my medicine interactions or side effects. I trust the professional and expert information on their site since all of their content is written by health professionals and experts. WebMd does have some pregnancy related information and you can even submit questions to the forum which is supervised by health experts. Just remember that WebMd doesn’t replace the need to talk to your doctor regarding any questions that you may have during pregnancy, after you have your baby, or if you or your spouse is sick.
What is your favorite resource for new parents?
Comments
4 responses to “6 Resources for New Parents”
WebMD is fairly reliable, but it can cause alarm for some new parents. If you’re prone to jumping to “worst case scenarios,” schedule an appointment with your child’s doctor, get a diagnosis from him/her and use WebMD to gain further understanding. A computer cannot distinguish between the gastric stomach upset of a baby who swallowed air while nursing and gastric stomach upset of an intestinal blockage.
I agree with you Karen. WebMD can freak a new parent out when they start googling symptoms for their baby. It’s better to call the doctors office, most of them have a 24 hour answering service or you can even call the ER to talk to a nurse too.
Thank you for these information, Christy. You really can’t stress enough how important it is to talk to your health care provider for any concerns regarding your pregnancy or your baby. Sometimes I have the tendency to think that my concern is too simple or not too important to bother my OB that I end up doing research and finding answers from not so reliable sources. In the end, it still doesn’t feel right. What will really put my mind at ease is talking to my OB, and I should always remember to do that first no matter what.
Your welcome. Just remember that your OB is working for you and even if they make you feel rushed always ask them any questions that you may have. Don’t be afraid to call and ask your OB nurse any questions that you might have missed when you were in the office. It is best to be over protective and ask the questions than to google it. Once you are twenty weeks, you can also use Labor and Delivery as a resource for your questions after hours especially if you think you might be in labor in the middle of the night.