Baby’s First 100 Days by Margaret Stephenson Meere

Credentials Motherhood is a joyous and treasured time in a woman’s life. However, along with joy comes anxiety. A first-time mom may wonder if she will recognize when her baby is sick, is she feeding them often enough, or how long should she let the baby cry. Now, a wonderful book has been written that can take away that uneasiness and fear most new mothers have. Baby’s First 100 Days, is filled with common sense answers to the basic problems mothers encounter when their precious bundle comes home. The author, Margaret Stephenson Meere, has recorded her wisdom and expertise from her 40 years of experience as a Registered Nurse, Midwife, and Early Childhood Health Practitioner. She details what works and doesn’t work in caring for a baby’s needs during their first three months of life in this crazy world. What makes this book so different than other baby books is her approach to the subject.

Common Sense Approach

 

Although the author has a vast wealth of medical knowledge, her approach is geared toward common sense—not scientific reasoning. Here are few common sense points from the book:

• Even babies have bad days. If a baby is handled too much on one day, the following day may result in fussiness, more crying than usual, and a longer period of time in getting the baby to sleep.

• A baby doesn’t get bored—they just get tired.

• How long should you let a baby cry? Perhaps one of the best statements in the book, “as long as you can put up with it.” Of course, the mother would need to recognize her baby’s various cries to determine if the baby was in distress.

• If the baby hasn’t burped after 40-60 seconds, then continue on with the feeding or other needs of the baby. If you don’t get a burp right away, then the baby will either spontaneously burp later or “with great gusto out the other end.”

Nurturing the Newborn’s Mother

Margaret Meere describes the physical and emotional trauma of motherhood during those first few months the baby comes home. She frankly explains why American mothers should be nurtured but are not. The book also deals with the negative impact of sleep deprivation that almost every new mother experiences.

 

My Favorite

This book is a great guide to first-time parents. However, it will also help first-time grandparents. As a recent first-time grandparent, I can tell you that I have forgotten a lot of the baby basics. This book brought home a lot of the things I had forgotten and more. Better yet though, was the author’s comment to grandparents to hold onto to their advice and remember that some things have changed over the years. For me, this by far is the hardest part of the book to apply.

Conclusion—Get the Book!

First-time mothers, first-time grandparents, and anyone around or working with babies would benefit greatly from this valuable information. The chapters deal with baby basics from crying patterns to just having fun with the baby. Each section of the book is brief and to the point. The vocabulary and explanation of terms is simple and clear for anyone to understand. Having a baby is a wonderful time in every family; however, it is also stressful. Now you can reduce that stress by understanding and applying the reasonable points found in this great book, Baby’s First 100 Days.

A special thanks to Margaret Stephenson Meere for compiling and sharing such valuable information in such a compact book.

Disclaimer: Our Family World received a free copy of the book. No monetary compensation was received for this post.