We always hear that it takes a village to raise a child. But in 2024, the village has disappeared. Parents are more stressed than ever with a lack of community, the cost of childcare, rent continues to rise and yet the pay from jobs are minimal. As more people are faced with becoming parents either by choice or due to abortion bans, how do we as a society welcome and center parents and children?
The first year of becoming a parent is the hardest adjustment. You now must put another human before yourself, your life revolves around them. During the first month of their life society loves to assist you, but where is the support when they are four … six … 12 months … seven years old. I recall the first few months being in survival mode; we were blessed that people bought us food, helped with laundry, helped clean the baby’s room but then it just stopped. The expectation for parents to have everything figured out by three months is unrealistic. I recall the first sleep regression at four months; my child woke up every two hours for three weeks straight and yet I had to go work for a 10-hour shift on three to four hours of sleep. During those times, laundry was never complete, the kitchen was dirty, and my social life did not exist. I was lonely and exhausted. It was the first time I can recall thinking, “This is what postpartum looks and feels like.”
Postpartum looks different for everyone but it is a complicated time filled with mixed emotions. You might feel lonely, upset, not yourself, attached to your baby or detached from your child, and they are all valid feelings. Compared to other countries, America is drastically beyond postpartum care. We go in for a six-week checkup and that is the last time you will hear from a doctor even if you had a c-section. Postpartum awareness is on the rise, however the working class, yet again, is left out of the conversation. Infant class, feeding classes, support groups, etc. are often located in zip codes that are above the average median income of the state of Michigan. Working class parents and especially working-class Black parents are forgotten in society. Once you have your baby the conservatives do not care about you and the left does not center children and parents. Where does that leave our parents and children in our society?
Daily Schedule
12 AM – He wakes up for a midnight snack and then goes back to bed.
4 AM – Morning feeding.
6 AM – Morning meal and get ready for the day.
7:30 AM – Drop off at daycare to go to work.
8 AM – Start work. Due to “the pump act” I can pump at work, however, it is unpaid time.
6 PM – Clock out + return home.
6:30 PM – Cook dinner, feed the child.
7:30 PM – Nurse child to bed.
8:30 PM – Clean and reset for the next day.
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