A few months ago, my daughter and her husband visited me. They presented a mug that decoratively had “Nana” written on it. Whaaaat??? After my initial surprise , I found out that it was indeed true – my daughter and her husband were going to become parents, which meant that I was going to become a grandmother!
The first decision I was asked to make, was how would I like my grandchild to address me? There were several options to choose from. The obvious, Grandmother and the derivatives, Grandma, Granny and Nana. Perhaps an ethic version would suit: the German “Oma”, Italian, “Nona”, or the Polish, “Babcha”. I did not have to think twice, I always envisioned myself as a “Nana”. “We thought so,” my daughter said, “which is why we got you the mug with ‘Nana‘ on it!” She knows me well!
Counting down to the due date, my daughter and her husband were busy preparing their nest. As they were doing so, I have learned from them that a lot has changed since I had my kids. For starters, new parents are investing in camera surveillance systems to keep an eye on their new wee ones. We had sound and intuition, no visual. Expensive baby carriage/bassinet systems that perform multiple functions are “on trend”. I had a car seat that doubled as as a “lounger”.
Safety enhancements made to infant car seats has also meant that the wee kiddos cannot wear clothing (such as winter coats) that may interfere with the harness. And apparently the pillow inserts that we used to prevent their wee heads from bobbing around are a hard “No!” Oh, and when the wee tyke is under three months of age, they are not supposed to remain in the car seat for more than two hours, as they do not have any neck control and their head may drop forward and cut off their ability to breathe. Having had fall babies, warm fall and winter wear was necessary, so my babies were always “wrapped and strapped” in.
Current trends for infant sleeping positions say that babies should be laid on their backs, not sides, as it was back when I first became a mom. Umbilical cords are not to be touched. I recall applying generous amounts of hydrogen peroxide on them to kill germs and dry them up. I’m sure there are other cautions – I am just not familiar with them.
Aside from navigating all these new cautions, maternity leave has changed quite a bit too. When I had my kids, there was such a short time given, only four months for my first child, then extended to six months for my second. Now mom’s get a full year. Paternal leave was not even a “thing”, so new dads only had a couple of days or at most a week (taken against allotted “vacation” time) to be with and help their new mom and baby. Now new dads are active participants with a Paternity Leave. So they now are not only present for the birth, but are able to help their new family adjust for the first six weeks.
Oh man! This business of becoming a grandmother is going to be tough and may not be what I imagined at all! I am really looking forward to meeting my new grandchild and getting to know them, because in my day, new moms were largely left on their own. This meant that moms were doing everything, with little sleep and little time to relax and enjoy their babies. So, once I am able to navigate all the cautions, I look forward to spending some quality time with my grandchild and relax to enjoy the ride!
Kathy Majkut
Content Development, Copywriting