April 2011 Moms
What advice would you give a new mom?
I'm a little bored right now and just can't convince myself to fold laundry.
I know as new moms we hate getting "advice" but I am curious, what advice or tips would you give a 3rd tri girl now that we are almost out of the newborn stage?
I have a couple:
1. Get some sleep gowns - so easy to change a night diaper. (Unfortunately around 1.5 months DS desided he hated the gowns.)
2. Try not to compare your LO to others it will just drive you crazy.
I'm sure I have more, but that is what I can think of now.
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Re: What advice would you give a new mom?
- Stock up you freezer with meals, there's no time to cook!!
- Enjoy your last days alone and pamper yourself until baby arrives (pedicure/haircut/relaxing!)
- Sleep when baby sleeps (really!)
- You have NO idea what tired is until baby arrives, take it day by day and try to enjoy it. It goes quickly although some of those early days/weeks seem like they last forever!! It gets better... you will sleep again and the fog eventually lifts
- If you plan to breastfeed be prepared it could be a steep learning curve, reach out for help and support when you need it!
I just gave these two pieces of advice to a friend of mine who is pregnant:
1) Babies are meant to survive new parents.
2) If for some reason you cant breastfeed, it's OK, you're still a great Mom!
1.) Back to basics. As long as everyone eats, sleeps (at least some), and poops, you're in good shape.
2.) Accept that you are going to be tired and you won't be disappointed when you don't get rest.
3.) Accept any and all help offered. Don't be modest. Ask for help when you need it.
4.) Set out to accomplish one goal a day. ( 1 load of laundry, dishes, vacuum....) If it doesn't get done, there is always tomorrow.
5.) It DOES get easier. You'll find you're one routine that works for you.
6.) Talk baby strategy with your DH/SO now, before exhaustion sets in. Especially for the night time.
7.) Enjoy these last few weeks of pregnancy. You won't realize how much you'll miss feeling your baby kicks!
DD 2.0 ~ 12/30/2013
1. Accept help. Don't be too proud to beg.
2. Things will NOT go as planned. (in the delivery room, with breastfeeding, plans for the rest of your life - jk!, how clean your house will be) I had a "boring" pregnancy & overall delivery....did not expect to have my 41 week old 8 lb 2oz baby whisked away to the NICU right after she was born, that she would be fed formula immediately, given a paci & a bottle...or that my first experience of bf'ing would be with a pump & the words "nipple shield" would be part of my day -to-day in the beginning.
3. Lower your expectations.
4. Keep the tags on. Seriously.
5. This is a matter of survival. Take it one day at a time.
6. You are stronger than you think - even with massive sleep deprivation. This too shall pass.
7. Swaddle blankets rule!
8. Snuggle, snuggle, snuggle!
9. Grandparents (as in your parents) do some strange things once that newborn arrives - try to roll with it, but also stand your ground. (I.E. - my mom who is very supportive of BF'ing loves to pop a bottle in my daughter's mouth whenever she has the chance. Even in the early weeks.)
10. When V was 2 weeks old, H watched her while I ran to the salon for a haircut....I had a twinge of mommy guilt but it was the best thing to make me feel human again. In other words, make a little time for yourself!
28 & Pregnant Blog
Honestly? To be nice. Be nice when some little old lady wants to look at your baby in the store. Yes, she might ask if you're formula feeding or breast feeding, which is technically none of her business. But be nice. Imagine when you are old and you want to look at a sweet baby who makes you smile.
Be nice to your partner, who will do things differently than you, and that's okay.
Be nice to yourself, and get out for a walk or a pedicure or a haircut on your own once in a while.
Be nice to your family - yes, they say some crazy things, but they are some of the only people in the world who love your baby the way you do. [This is the hardest for me to remember]. Just because they give you advice doesn't mean they think you are a bad mother. Be mature enough to smile and nod and then let it go.
I wish someone had told me to be nice and slow down and be more flexible. I spent too much of the first few weeks not being nice, and I regret that now. People just wanted to help and admire my little one. Just like being the bride doesn't mean you get to be a b!tch, having a baby doesn't mean you get to be mean and rude to others.
I had my moments too but you also have to consider the hormonal changes going on inside, your worn out body, your lack of sleep, the stress of a new baby, finding a routine in the midst of the chaos....I apologized to those that had to deal with me at my lowest, but they were understanding. It's a new territory & it can be quite overwhelming! Once I came to my senses...I was very appreciative of help, advice, etc...I wasn't too proud to beg!
lol
Excellent point though!
28 & Pregnant Blog
I think the big thing is that you won't be as instinctively good at this as you think you will be, and that's okay. You are not a bad mother or a failure as a parent if you feel overwhelmed or confused in the beginning, or if things don't go like they are "supposed to" according to books, websites, your mom, your friends, etc.
Just go with your gut and let LO teach you the best way to care for LO.