When it comes to… getting your pet ready for the baby:
Even if your furry friend may be accustomed to you and your habits, this doesn’t mean he or she is ready for the baby, and as we know, babies bring BIG change. This is true not only for you, but for your pets as well. While you, your partner, your support network and your medical team prepare for your baby’s arrival, it’s a good idea to help your dogs or cats prepare for the changes as well. Erin Walters from The Bump offers some easy tips and practical advice (from exposing your pet to other babies to obedience training), as do the What to Expect editorial team and Heidi Murkoff, author of What to Expect When You’re Expecting.
When it comes to… allergies and funky parasites from unusual pets:
Are you worried about developing allergies while pregnant from pet dander?
Or perhaps you have a hamster, a rat, a snake, a tortoise or some other exotic animal?
Here are a couple things to be aware of: lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCMV) and/or salmonella. In these cases, it is best to speak with your doctor. In the meantime, Elena Donovan Mauer offers this article as a good starting point to being informed.
Do you have any advice to share on navigating pet ownership and parenting? What advice or decisions have made a positive impact for you in your experience?
Dr. Dawn Kingston, Canada’s leading expert on perinatal mental health and for over ten years has been at the forefront of research on how to prevent postpartum depression. Her team has developed the HOPE App which is designed to significantly reduce prenatal anxiety and depression and directly support expectant mothers. They are studying it in a massive implementation study, one of the most ambitious projects of this type ever!
Follow Dr Dawn Kingston on:
Facebook || Twitter || Pinterest || Instagram || Medium || LinkedIN || PsychologyToday
