My daughter’s friend, a PhD graduate student in physics (!) just had her first baby, a girl. Congratulations to her and all of you who just entered the world of parenting. Obviously, anyone who is getting a PhD in physics has got to be pretty smart. But it makes me think about how many smart new parents I have known who have been TOTALLY overwhelmed and felt so inadequate facing a 7 and 1/2 pound newborn. So I’m here to tell you, “You ARE Smarter Than A Newborn”, just too tired to know it.
First of all, babies are a lot tougher than they look. If you think about it, babies have survived their parents for millennia. You survived your parents, and your baby will survive you. So don’t be paralyzed by the idea that you might make a mistake and ruin your child for life.
Secondly, trust your instincts. After taking your baby home from the hospital, you will have spent 48-72 hours with that cute little bundle. Your baby is an individual right from the start. Although you have read all the latest child raising books, gotten plenty of free advice from friends (with and without children), and heard from the grandparents that their way is best, none of them know your baby as well as you do. So, ultimately, you get to decide what’s best.
And lastly, make sure that you enjoy your baby. You cannot love or hold your newborn baby too much!
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