You have been through a pregnancy and labour, and now you are ready to go home to start your baby’s life. Once you’re free, though, you can like you don’t know what you are doing. These pieces of parenting advice for the new mums can help even the most nervous parents first feel confident that they will take care of a newborn in no time.
If your newborn sleeps, you can rest.
It is the number one tip because it is the most important one! Everyone will advise you to relax, and this is good advice, while your baby sleeps, but it isn’t always possible. At first, you may be a new mum and think that you don’t need to sleep or relax-but losing sleep over a long time will eventually catch you up, and then the rest you need can almost impossible to catch up.
If you rest at least when your newborn child sleeps, in the months ahead, you’ll have more energy and definitely need it! Your baby will probably start teething by six months, and you may be exhausted during those months. Resting will help you find it easier to handle less sleep.
Ask for assistance if you need it.
If you are stressed by your baby staying at home all day, ask for help! Ask a friend or family member to come and help. If you want someone to come over to give you some personal time to sit at the table and eat without holding your baby, ask! It’s entirely alright to need some assistance. You’re new to this maternity thing, and people are no advocates overnight.
Be prepared.
By three weeks, babies ‘ days and nights will become more regular, and in addition to your baby, you will rely on yourself. One way to do this is to will your stress level–one way to do it is to have everything ready for your hungry baby and yourself. Start by preparing the next feeding once the previous feeding has ended.
For instance, after 11 p.m. Feeding, get ready for 2 o’clock. One by cooking whatever you need to eat and set out fresh drinking water for yourself so that in the middle of the night, you have nothing to worry about. Take advantage of the baby’s naps during the day to workout, shower, or e-mail or have a rest too.
Look out for excessive stimulation.
One of the things we often ignore in the early days is that children can get very quickly over-stimulated. Of course, parenting plays a vital role, and it’s good to have a few cool baby toys, but be aware that in the first few months, you won’t overdo it.
If your baby is over-stimulated, it might be quite challenging to calm him down for bedtime. Babies can get overwhelmed when over-stimulated. With an upset baby, you might get anxious and be upset too!
Pay attention to yourself.
Be aware that many people experience postpartum depression. If you don’t feel as happy with your new baby, don’t want to talk to others, or if you feel like you have been going down longer than two weeks, please seek help before it gets worse.
It’s nothing to be ashamed of, and more women than you know suffer from postpartum depression. Be vigilant, therefore, and if you feel you might struggle with PPD, get treatment.
Support your Daddy-Baby Bond.
Make sure your baby has enough time with Daddy alone. His touch and voice are different from yours, and this will start a process of bonding and will break you. Nevertheless, the baby used to be with someone else than you. The first few times can be challenging. Make sure your baby is well-fed and restful because it will give you at least one or two hours before you need it again.
Then leave the father and the child alone. When you stay close, make sure that you can’t see or hear the baby and resist the urge to go to the room and fix things when she starts to cry. Your baby is crying and playing with you to find out what’s wrong. Dads also need time-in their own way.
Don’t forget to plan!
Planning meals, washing, excursions, and bedtime make life a lot easier, mainly when you are tired. It’s as simple as making sure you’re all ready before you begin your mission. For example, make sure you have everything you need before you bathe your baby, such as clean towels, clean clothes, and cream.
