Nothing can compare to the immense love you feel when you hold your newborn for the first time in your arms. No doubt having a baby is incredibly rewarding but can bring with it a lot of stress and frustration, where you keep asking yourself “what if you are doing it wrong? Why is the baby not sleeping? Am I a good mother?” It also doesn’t help that everyone you talk to suddenly has an opinion.
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Whether you like it or not, everyone (even the people you barely know) will start giving you advice about parenting by sharing their own experiences and telling you how to raise your baby.
With these new advice, you can become overwhelmed and end up worrying about every little thing. Like, what if I do something wrong and make my baby’s life miserable and he ends up hating me for the rest of his life? Calm down, mommy! Let’s get real, you will make mistakes but you will also do many things amazingly well, things that may even end up surprising you in a pleasant way.
Remember, a happy, healthy mom equals a happy, healthy baby. Here are 10 new mom survival tips to help you settle into your new role as a mother.
1. Eat up
The first new mom survival tips is to eat up. Life with a newborn can be pretty exhausting. Take good care of your health and eat lots of healthy food, especially if you are breastfeeding your little one. Getting enough nutrients is very important for you to keep up with new challenges and keep you happy. Also, drink lots of water because breastfeeding makes you thirsty.
2. Co-sleep During Night
Newborn babies are not hard-wired to sleep through the night. They wake up every few hours during the night. Use a bassinet or Pack n Play and keep it near your bedside so you do not have to go to the nursery all the way to feed them during the night. Also, keep a few diapers and wipes near you during the night in case your baby may need to be changed.
3. Go for Walks
Getting a good dose of vitamin D can do wonders in de-stressing you. Also, a change of environment could be just what the baby needed to calm down. Make it a routine and take your baby for a walk in a stroller. It will enhance your mood as well as your baby’s.
4. Celebrate little Moments
Replace self-blaming with self-praising. Often we are blinded by something that goes wrong instead of focusing on what went right. Acknowledge every small progress because small victories equal big impact. Cheer up and celebrate little moments of progress like your baby sleeping through the night, when you finish your meal with no interruption or your baby has started rolling over, etc.
5. Accept All the Help You’re Offered
Sometimes we feel the need to do all the tasks by ourselves because getting help makes us feel like we are incompetent. Needing help does not mean that you are failing. So, get all the help you need and go enjoy a much needed uninterrupted hot shower while your baby spends some time with grandma.
6. Join a Mom’s Group
Having someone you can relate to makes you feel you are not alone. There are also people whose lives have changed as incredibly as yours. People you can share your stories and adventures with. Plus, it’s good to know that someone else is also up when you are not sleeping either. There are some good mom’s groups on Reddit. I belong to the beyondthebump subreddit; it is good for new and old moms.
7. Buy Products That Will Make Your Life Easier
Investing in some useful newborn products is a good idea. They will make your life incredibly easy. There are a plethora of baby products, some are useful while others, not so much. Some of the most useful products include; nursing bras, baby swing, and baby bouncer, baby carrier, etc.
8. Make Some Time for Yourself
This may seem like a daunting task especially when you feel you are everything your baby needs. It is important to feel like yourself even for just a moment. It is also important for your baby to get used to being around other people and be comfortable with them. You should not always sacrifice your own needs, because to be a good parent you need to be in the right frame of mind. Like how it is always advised on planes to put your oxygen mask first and then helping your baby put it.
It can be anything from eating a meal while it is still piping hot, having an uninterrupted shower, spending time with your girlfriends, getting a manicure, going shopping, etc. It is okay to be selfish and ask someone else to look after the baby for some time.
9. Do What Works Best for You
Just because the book you read says to do this or that doesn’t mean you should feel pressured in doing it. Every baby is different. What works for one baby may not work for another. Trust your gut and motherly instincts because no one knows your baby better than you.
10. Never Compare Yourself With any Celebrity Mom or Social Media Images
Photos never tell you the whole story. Moms posting pictures of a pristine clean home with a beautifully dressed baby will make you feel inferior and incompetent. Just remember that it is not real, none of it. It only depicts one side of the story. Don’t let it get to you because most of those moms are often photographers, decorators or stylists. Also, stop setting unrealistic weight loss goals. Take it nice and slow.
New mom survival tips to help you navigate motherhood
Above are valuable new mom survival tips to help you. Remember that it won’t last forever. Even though some nights may seem unbearably long to you, you will get to the end, eventually. Embrace every moment you spend with your newborn and bask in that sweet baby smell. It won’t last forever and before you know it, you will chase after a rampaging, toddling monster.
