A poem for newborns
A newborn baby needs so much care
His body and brain are new
He may feel afraid of the life ahead
His experiences are few
His mother knows he’s delicate
Her loving arms can’t wait
She must respond quickly, with compassion and thought
Tomorrow could be too late
Neurons fire and the baby’s brain takes shape
The mother is a super hero without a cape
She massages, listens, smiles and cooks
Not one need is overlooked
For a baby who knows his voice is heard
Is a baby who will speak
And a baby who knows someone’s got his back
Is a baby who will seek
The baby cries on his mother’s shoulder
Like he would never do with any other
Because the mother is his very safe place
Free of judgement, full of grace
The mother knows her baby is new
And needs support to find his way
In this big new world where some things seem wrong
A mother shows her baby that he is strong
And his mind capable.
And one day the baby will wake up and realize
That he has found his place
It just took time, support, and understanding
and the right amount of space.
He’ll take his first steps without holding hands
He’ll hold his head up high
He’ll thank his mother for believing in him.
And then that baby will spread his wings
and fly.
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A newborn mother needs so much care
Her body and brain are new
She may feel afraid of the life ahead
Her experiences are few
Her doula knows she’s delicate
Her loving arms can’t wait
She must respond quickly, with compassion and thought
Tomorrow could be too late
Neurons fire and the mother’s brain takes shape
The doula is a super hero without a cape
She massages, listens, smiles and cooks
Not one need is overlooked
For a mother who knows her voice is heard
Is a mother who will speak
And a mother who knows someone’s got her back
Is a mother who will seek
The mother cries on her doula’s shoulder
Like she would never do with any other
Because the doula is her very safe place
Free of judgement, full of grace
The doula knows the mother is new
And needs support to find her way
In this big new world where some things seem wrong
A doula shows the mother that she is strong
And her mind capable.
And one day the mother will wake up and realize
That she has found her place
It just took time, support, and understanding
and the right amount of space.
She’ll take her first steps without holding hands
She’ll hold her head up high
She’ll thank her doula for believing in her.
And then that mother will spread her wings
and fly.
Written with love by
Anne Kathryn Rice