{"id":330701,"date":"2020-09-30T06:02:08","date_gmt":"2020-09-29T20:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=330701"},"modified":"2020-09-30T06:02:08","modified_gmt":"2020-09-29T20:02:08","slug":"raising-a-child-for-first-time-parents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/raising-a-child-for-first-time-parents\/","title":{"rendered":"Raising a child for first-time parents"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Sasha Zandueta, shown here with her family, said that parental instincts\u00a0come naturally after your first child is born. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Becoming a parent does not come with instructions or a manual. From expecting a child and to rearing one, this journey can be overwhelming, frustrating, tiring, and fulfilling all at the same time. Many parents say that having their first child is one of the best moments in their life and the journey may not be perfect but experience teaches them to be the best that they can be.<\/p>\n

Sasha Zandueta of Chalan Lau Lau recalls being a first-time parent to a boy who is now 5 years old. \u201cTo be honest, my husband and I were not really prepared for parenthood but, as soon as our baby was born, our \u2018parental instinct\u2019 began to come out naturally. \u2026We were both so excited and happy to meet our first baby boy and we couldn\u2019t stop staring at him , holding him and feeling such immense joy,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy husband and I did not talk much about playing roles but we did our parts and one example is the husband would do laundry while I stay at home and take care of the baby. \u2026There were many challenges we had to face becoming new parents, which meant we were on our own now as a family and my husband and I teamed up on responsibilities and we learned not to do things on our own but work together for our family,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Experience taught Zandueta that first-time parents should always be there for each other. \u201cSplit the responsibilities\u2026help one another\u2026 accept the responsibilities and make adjustments. \u2026There are moments when mothers go through \u2018post-partum depression\u2019 with their first child and my advice to all the fathers is to be there to help ease the situation and realize that new mothers are not overreacting in these moments. \u2026Be a team and work things out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zandueta said that her son and husband inspire her to keep going. \u201c\u2026We started our life together pretty young and, with a son, our life is pretty much a handful but we are moving forward every single day. \u2026Just to see our son grow is very rewarding. \u2026Seeing my family together and happy pushes me to be a better version of myself despite going through PPD. \u2026My husband inspires me to never give up,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Alisa Baquilles of Gualo Rai said she and her husband cried tears of joy when they saw their baby girl for the first time 14 months ago. \u201cWe were both so happy, thankful, and blessed. \u2026Just like many parents, we did not really appoint who will do specific tasks. It just happened and parenthood will push you that way but in a good way,\u201d she said. \u201cBreastfeeding was a challenge at first and I still do this until today. I thank God for being able to provide \u2018liquid gold\u2019 for my little one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Alisa Baquilles with her family said tears of joy overwhelmed her after seeing her baby and holding her baby for the first time.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

She said their daughter keeps them going through many challenges. \u201cGiving up is not an option, especially if you are new parents. Always pray and do not forget to take care of yourself for your family,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Parents like Kristine Galang and her husband from Chinatown did a lot of research when they were expecting their first baby girl 15 months ago. \u201cWe read a lot and talked to other \u2018first-time\u2019 parents. We were scared and nervous but the moment we saw her, it was pure joy and love. \u2026I have always loved babies but knowing that this baby is mine, the feeling is just amazing,\u2019 she said<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery day, my husband and I inspire each other. Life can be challenging but we are a team. Both of our mothers would give us advice and help guide us. I am learning every day as I also talk to other first-time mothers and listening to their experiences is enlightening,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Kristine Galang said she and her husband not only sought advice from family and friends about parenthood but also read books and did research.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Galang echoes what other new parents also go through\u2014that the transition to parenthood can sometimes be overwhelming. \u201cAside from the lack of sleep and worry if what I am doing and decisions that I call are right, breastfeeding was my biggest challenge. \u2026I was not producing enough and I beat myself up thinking I have failed my baby. \u2026When my baby reached 4 months [old], I finally let go and accepted [that] it is not about me. I did what I could and supplementing her with formula is not bad as my baby now is happy, healthy, and growing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy advice to new parents is [to] learn as you go. Not all babies are the same and only you know your child and what is best for them. Communication is key to my husband and me. \u2026Be open to one another and never be afraid or ashamed to ask for help when needed,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Becoming a parent does not come with instructions or a manual. From expecting a child…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":330702,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-330701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-supplement"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/330701","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=330701"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/330701\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/330702"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=330701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=330701"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=330701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}