New Parent Google Syndrome

“New Parent Google Syndrome” (NPGS) – a term that I have coined as a result of my obsessive compulsion to Google everything (absolutely everything) if not one time, then two, four, or 10 times in this first year of parenthood. And let’s be honest, this obsessive Googling starts before baby even arrives.  It really starts during pregnancy when women begin to experience a never-ending list of symptoms that have them questioning, “what the hell is happening to me?” Pre and post baby, the searches just change from “why is my nose bleeding?” and “when will my feet fit into my shoes again?” to “why does my newborn sound like a zombie velociraptor when sleeping?” and “how can a little tiny human poop this much?” While most of these questions are essentially asking “is this normal??” the answer often is: “yes, totally normal.” Yet you still can’t help but head back to that glowing search bar just to be sure. To anyone out there who is saying that you shouldn’t be looking these things up online – what are we supposed to do?? Yes, I have read the books in preparation. Yes, I have gone to my fellow mothers to ask questions. And, Yes, of course if it is urgent or important enough I will speak with our doctor. But for now, when I need a quick answer, please just let me Google it! I’m not advising anyone to get a medical diagnosis from a Google search. I know that you can’t trust everything that you read online and that you need to do your due diligence when researching things. Don’t come for me. I’m just a mom, sitting in front of a browser, asking it to guide her.