Hera Gives 6 Tips for New Peregrine Falcon Parents
If I could give just one warning for new parents it would be, the constant demands of caring for a baby can and will test your limits. However, you will never find yourself so full of love for another living creature.
I’ve had 24 chicks and 5 are on the way. So you can believe me when I say it’s taken me 6 years to finally understand that you can’t forget to take care of yourself. Zeus and I have developed some tips over the last 6 years that have helped us, so we’d like to share them with you.
1. Take Care of Your Health
Now, I’m not trying to sound arrogant, but the health of a family depends on the health of the mother. Follow up on any conditions identified during pregnancy. You need to remember that it took you 33 days to incubate those eggs, so give yourself time to lose the extra weight!
2. Tag-Team to Get Some Sleep
Zeus and I used to make the mistake of both getting up with the chicks during the night. Trust me; it’s much better dividing the night into shifts.
3. Take Personal Time
Quality time away from your chick is just as important as quality with your chick. You need to nurture yourself so you’re not running on fumes. Here’s some of the things I do for quality time: Fly around the city, people watch, get lunch with a close friend, practice my 180mph dives…it can be anything that relaxes and centers you.
4. Accept Help
You will feel overwhelmed. Family should be encouraged to help and if you need to, consider paid help. With 5 chicks chirping around the nest, it’s not easy keeping the bones from feeding picked up.
5. Maintain a Social Life
Making plans with other falcon friends, particularly new parents who understand what you are going through, can prevent feelings of isolation and give you an emotional support system.
6. Spend time With Your Partner
Zeus and I would both tell you that this is key. We’ve had our share of struggles raising 24 chicks and we know that you have to fight to spend time together. Staying close to your partner is not only vital to your health and the future of your relationship; it is the very best thing you can give your chick!