Becoming a mother can be very exciting but challenging also. As a first-time mom, many things are working on your mind. Some new moms face it without fear, and many have doubts and anxieties about how it will be once the baby comes.
Before delivering the baby, the entire situation is different. But once you are out of the safe care of the hospital, the sense of responsibility becomes 100 percent. It will take time to adjust to a new life in your world. So let your emotions relax and let them lose. Let each day come naturally for you and the baby. Here are 10 things new moms should know from the beginning.
Table of Contents
When you leave the hospital
Your health and the baby’s health go together. If you cannot keep healthy as a mom, it will be challenging to look after the new one. Take all practical advice from your gynecologist for your own body. At the same time, the pediatrician’s advice till the next visit. Prepare the vehicle that you would travel in to reach home. Make all the comfortable arrangements for the baby.
Don’t worry if your babies cry; sometimes, there is no reason.
Generally, babies cry when hungry, need a diaper or are gassy in the tummy. But sometimes, they cry even when they have no need. With time you will realize the difference in their call. If you have already done the diaper change, feeding, burping, hugging, and swaddling, sometimes you must lay the baby in a safe place and take a moment to yourself. Chances are that it is a mood swing.
Pacifiers are no harm.
Babies have a natural reflex for sucking that helps them soothe down. Pacifiers help babies calm down when they are restless or fussy. It helps them practice the sucking motion for their feed or bottle feeding. They also help to improve the sleep of the baby.
It is no harm to hold your baby as much as you want to
It is generally a myth that if you hold on to your baby too much, it will cause too much dependency of the baby on you. On the contrary, holding your baby and gently caressing it is a procedure, like a healing trick that activates the neurons that relieve the baby’s stress and improve pain tolerance. Child development experts encourage more caressing of your baby. You may snuggle away together on the couch with your little one. Or wear your baby in the carrier while you’re in the kitchen.
Breastfeeding Advice
Breastfeeding isn’t as smooth as it seems. Sometimes the baby doesn’t adapt to it. Sometimes the mother cannot produce as much milk to keep the baby satiated or chooses not to breastfeed. You need to make the best decision for you and your baby. Take advice from the doctor as to what is good for both.
When babies don’t sleep well
Infants generally have a short sleep at a time. It is not always possible that infants will sleep for hours together. They tend to wake up due to hunger or bed wetting often. Infants generally wake up after 2-3 hours because of hunger. For your rest, try to get some sleep along with your baby. If you are bottle feeding, your partner can help by taking shifts of feeding so that you can get more rest.
Postpartum baby blues
You could feel like crying on and off throughout the day. Sometimes you could be snapping at your partner without reason. You might feel you are not bonding with your baby as you had imagined. New moms sometimes go through anxiety pangs and depression. You need as much self as the baby. You can talk about your feelings with your partner, close friends, and family. If you feel supported, it is one of the best ways to get through the baby blues and start to feel more like yourself again.
Don’t worry about weight gain.
It is natural to gain some weight post delivery, but nothing is wrong with it and nothing to worry about. Your body is going through many hormonal changes, and it’s just a part. You can consult your doctor about it, or you can also check out https://inshapemummy.com, where you can find answers to your questions.
The internet is not always the answer.
Sometimes googling your stress answers can get you worse. The internet is not a medical or psychological authority. For parents, if you are looking at all the symptoms on the internet for every answer, you are creating the potential for yourself to invite a new kind of panic, which is not necessary. Generally, the explanations are simple, which your doctor can give you. It is good to read magazines and information but do what suits you, or you can verify from your doctor.
Trust your maternal instincts.
A mother’s inner instinct is valid. Not all the time advice works from relatives and friends. Your heart and mind are often right when it comes to your baby, and there is no harm in following it. Nature has the strongest recommendations. Giving birth is a natural phenomenon. There are a lot of things that the child picks up through nature. Do not panic.
Wrapping Thought
As a new parent, you’re taking in so much information and advice in a short time that it can be easy to reach the “information overload” zone. Your baby’s doctor knows this, and that’s why many doctors avoid giving you too much information all at once. Your confidence in bringing up a baby will grow as the days pass. Do not stress; go each day at a time!