Tips for a new mom

Hey ladies, I wrote this up as part of a gift for a friend of mine. Thought you might want to pass it on or read if you're expecting. Mind, this is MY OPINION AND ADVICE only! Please don't take offense if you don't agree!

From One New Mom to Another:

MyTips and Tricks to Surviving the First Few Months

1.   In thedelivery room, be open to all options. Whatever you go in expecting will be theopposite of what actually happens. While its okay to have plans and goals,don?t be upset when those fall through. You?ll save yourself a lot of regretand disappointment by staying flexible.

2.   Afterthe baby is born, everyone will tell you how things should be done best.Doctors, nurses, friends and family will all be informing you of the right wayto do things and what you should neverdo. In the end, however, your instincts will take over and you?ll know what?sright for you and your baby. Not doing everything by the book is not onlyinevitable but is necessary to be amother. Remember, he?s your baby andyou have the right to raise him any way that feels right. Trust your intuition.

3.   Ifyou?re breastfeeding and don?t have a good pump, get one.  You?ll need it when you get engorged,for relief between feedings and for pumping to store. Also, if you havedifficulty breastfeeding, whether it be latching problems or low milk supply,you?ll want the pump so you can still give your baby your milk as long aspossible. Pump and freeze what extra you have while your supply is up. Get ahands-free pumping bra that fits up with your bottles and pump. If you?repumping as often as your baby is feeding, prop him up in the boppy, feed himwith one hand while you keep your other free for control. You should be pumpingas long as your baby is feeding so when he finished, you?re finished.

4.   Fornipple lubrication when pumping or otherwise, use olive oil instead of lanolin.In addition to being cheaper, olive oil is more slippery so it causes lessfriction and less chance of blisters. Some women are actually allergic tolanolin, so you avoid that being an issue. Also, olive oil is easier to wipeoff, allowing the nipple to dry and heal quicker while still moisturizingenough to avoid cracking and bleeding.

5.   Drink lots and lots of water. It will helpwith milk production, start regulating your urinary tract (which by the waywill be out of wack for a few months post partum,) and make you feel lessdrained and yucky.

6.   Whileponytails, headbands and hair clips will be your best friends, shower when youcan. When a visitor comes, hand the baby over and hop in the shower. Youprobably won?t get more than one every other day if you?re lucky, but they workwonders to make you feel better instantly.

7.   Thefirst 6-8 weeks will be a blur. You?ll feel like crying from exhaustion andscreaming from frustration but be overjoyed all at the same time. Just try tobe patient. Every day gets easier as you learn what works for you and your babyand he adjusts to the new world. As soon as you feel like you?ve got the hangof it, the baby will change just a little, and you?ll have to start over. Therewill be no pattern or schedule for a very long time, so just try to stay calmand enjoy this time learning your new family member.

8.   Possiblythe most important advice I ever got was ?sleepwhen the baby sleeps.? This is no joke. You?ll learn to fall asleep at thedrop of a hat, and it will save your sanity. You may want to clean, cook, orget work done, but don?t. No one will fault you or think you?re neglecting yourresponsibilities if you try to catch up on rest. Seriously. If you are tootired, you?ll be cranky, causing your husband to stress out, causing fights andavoidable bitterness between you two. Also, the baby will pick up on thattension and cry more. In general, if you stay calm, everyone else will too.

9.   Therewill be days your baby eats or sleeps less or more than usual. Don?t freak outunless it lasts more than a few days or if you think it is affecting hishealth. There are a million and one reasons your baby acts the way he does andhalf the time you can?t figure it out.

10.Thereis sense behind the advice that holding your baby all the time will make themdependent on being held and not put down, but not in the first few weeks.Almost all rules like that go out the window for at least the first month. Ifholding your baby is the only thing that will calm him down, for sanity?s sake,do it. You?ll find that most advice is ?forgotten? when it comes to stoppingyour baby?s tears or getting him to sleep or eat. It?s okay. You won?t permanently damage your baby by loving him toomuch. Most habits aren?t formed until he?s 4-6 months old anyway.

11.Assoon as you feel comfortable, put him in his crib to sleep. Having the baby inyour room will detract from your sleep, and therefore your health, because youwill wake up at every movement and breath your baby makes. It doesn?t matterhow heavy of a sleeper you used to be, once you become a mom you?ll wake up ata pin-drop. An Angelcare Monitor works wonders to relieve the fear of SIDS ifthat?s what keeps you up at night.

12.It maybe the hardest thing in the world to listen to your baby cry and while everyonewill tell you that its okay to let him, it will still break your heart everytime. Your baby will survive through tears and tantrums, so try to be okay witha little crying. However, what people don?t tell you is that letting your babywork himself up makes it harder to calm him down, so sometimes stopping the fitbefore it gets out of control is an excellent way to avoid some unnecessarystress. (By the way, babies can?t ?cry it out? until they are closer to 3-4months old because they aren?t capable of calming themselves down, so thatadvice is a no-go for awhile if you have the heart to try it.)

13.Whenin doubt, call the pediatrician. Google will only scare you in to thinkingsomething is seriously wrong with your baby. Yes, you?ll check the internetfirst, but then call the doctor. They have a nurse on staff meant specificallyfor your ?silly? questions, and the have a doctor on call 24 hours a day ifyou?re really worried. Seven calls a week resulting in nothing is better thannot calling only to find its something serious.

14. And finally, don?t be afraid to ask for help from anyone and everyone!