Being a parent is an incredibly stressful experience, really. In the breeding season, the practice of mindfulness can be profoundly beneficial, not only to care for the newborn but also for your own self-care.
The first days of living with a baby are a kind of honeymoon in many cases. But they are also full of stressors for both the newborn and their parents or caregivers. The baby lands in a completely new habitat, and also has crying as its main means of communication. A new relationship begins to take shape, full of uncertainties (how little we like the uncertainties); of fears (will I know how to take care of it? How will I understand its signs?); and of an immense love, without limits.
As a friend told me when I was at that time of upbringing: "Fortunately and unfortunately, with babies, everything lasts 4 days." The mood of a baby changes many times in a single day and that is something that can dislodge us.
Being present with him , as he is in each moment, is a practice of mindfulness in everyday life. It is a good time to be aware of the impermanence of everything: those wonderful moments that we wish would never happen and those others that we wish would not exist. Whatever the state of your baby, it will happen, nothing is permanent.
Children are hungry for our attention and affection, and can feel perfectly when parents or caregivers are distracted. They notice it. How can you be with your baby with full attention?.
In practice, it is as simple as holding it in your arms and maintaining eye contact with a kind and affectionate attitude . Take advantage of those moments to not do anything else. Do not use them to move on autopilot on Facebook.
Each time you hold your baby, it is an opportunity to practice, full attention in contact with your baby, that unique communication that you are creating moment after moment.