|
New Mom Tips
I wish someone had written some tips for me as a new mom. So hopefully these will be helpful to you.
Tip #1 Not everyone will experience "Baby Blues" --I had only two days of this, and mostly due to the fact that I was majorly leaking milk all over my clothes and was getting very depressed and was about to give up breastfeeding. But I hung in there, using cut up maxi-pads inside my bras, changing them regularly until my milk supply evened out(about 2 weeks
post-partum). Now, with my daughter at 5 months, I'm a happy breastfeeding mother!
Tip #2 You WILL bleed heavily after labor! I was shocked at the amount of blood on the thick pads the hospital provided. I was constantly making my way into the bathroom to change them. And if you tore (which will be the case for most first timers) during delivery, you'll want to be very gentle when wiping. Use the warm water the hospital provides in the squeeze bottle and take it home! Also take the "spitz bath" container home- you WILL use it! I didn't think I would, but when those stitches started pulling, oh my....talk about driving you crazy! I was up in the middle of the night, sitting in that spitz bath and spraying the 'Dermoplast" spray on the entire area.
Tip#3 A lot of people have asked-Do I have to worry about going to the bathroom during delivery?
Well I had the epidural and a catheter was put in, so I don't remember peeing, but I was privileged to watch my baby enter the world on a long mirror over my bed and I can tell you, I did pass some bowels, but it was quickly wisked away as having my baby was first priority. It wasn't embarassing in the least. I'd imagine nurses and doctors see this every day.
Tip #4 Don't overdo yourself when you're released from the hospital. I was so anxious to introduce my little girl into this new bright world, I went out showing her off, only three days after delivery! Which means the second day home- I know, dumb me. Mom and I went shopping, walking the mall, and in addition to pulling the stitches loose, causing them to get sore, real itchy and bleed, I could hardly walk. Take it from me, delivery takes alot out of you- let your body get used to all the hard work you put forth and begin its healing.
Tip #5 Babies can be given infant cereal before 6 months. Some pediatricians really frown on this, thankfully mine is great and has given his approval since she's caught on right away, isn't constipated(which is their main concern)and sleeps great at night. I started her on rice cereal at 4 weeks, when she acted hungrier as soon as I fed her in the evenings and wouldn't awaken every 3 hours to eat. At first I gave her very little cereal with warm water. When she slept a little longer, I eventually added fruit baby food (at 6 weeks) to the cereal with 4 ounces of formula and breastfeeding as usual. She slept 9 hours!
Now at 5 months, I breasfeed as usual throughout the day, unless I have a demanding schedule then she'll take a bottle of formula. She still eats every 3 hours, but around 9, 9:30pm she knows she gets her cereal. It won't matter if I just breastfed her at 8, she wants her cereal! If I breastfeed her before the cereal she'll get 4-5 ounces of formula. If I don't breastfeed that night, she gets 6-8 ounces of formula and the cereal--however much she'll take.
She's a great baby. I've never had to rock or coax her to sleep at night. I just lay her in her crib, give her her blanket to rub in her face which she loves, give her a kiss on the forehead and leave the room. She's asleep within minutes. She usually wakes up between 6:30, 7:30 am -- Heaven for Mommy!
Tip #6 I know giving birth is hard work, but make sure "daddy" doesn't feel left out. I've always been "horny", so this wasn't such a big deal for me, in fact I looked forward to the 6 week timeline when the doc gave her approval for us to resume sex.
Include him in the child care too, as much as possible. My husband has changed our girls' diapers, fed her cereal, given her her bottle, dressed her. Cuddled her, talked to her... The one thing he hasn't done yet is given her a bath. Hmmm, I'll have to work on that.
"Daddy" loves his little girl so much. And she loves him jsut as much-you should see the smiles he gets when he comes in the door from a long days work.
Tip #7 Date your husband. Set aside time to go out, just you and he for dinner or a movie. Do things that attracted you to each other before baby arrived. Go miniature golfing. Go to a game. Stare into eachother's eyes over a candlelight dinner. Make a point to give regular hugs, kisses and hold eachother's hands. Compliment eachother. Just as you need to know you still finds you sexy after giving birth, he needs to know you're still attracted to him as a man, not just as "daddy". Tell him frequently how much you appreciate him working to support you as a family, and if you've been given the wonderful opportunity to stay home with your little one- thank him.
Tip #8 If you're like me, you find yourself snapping roll after roll of film on your new addition. A great thing you can give your baby, especially after they're grown, is a story of their life in book form- a scrapbook. I enjoy being creative and compiling pictures and words into my daughter's scrapbook. It will be something special to share with her as she grows up. I also had her delivery camcordered and have an edited version to share with her and friends. I videotape short excerpts of her life, each week, trying to keep up with her continual changes. One moment, she's cooing, the next saying "Mama", the next rolling over! Soon, we'll have a collection just of our little girl.
Tip #9 Don't be afraid to introduce your baby into the loud, busy world.
On vacation I wondered how she'd react to the booming fireworks on the Fourth of July(hearing them for the first time), but she never flinched. In fact, she was alert and watching the bright colors herself! Priceless to catch on video.
She's heard the bark of my parents' Golden Retriever from the first day home, my little brothers' loud noises, the slam of car doors, lots of people talking in big groups, even the vaccuum cleaner! I can vaccuum right where she's lying, no problem. So... don't alienate your baby from the real world. She'll do just fine.
Tip #10 My final tip. Hopefully I haven't scared you away from childbirth or if you've given birth, made you second guess your role as a parent.
The one thing I wasn't completely prepared for was falling so helplessly in love with my baby. I never understood the term, "give your life for your child" until I experienced the sight of my little girl entering this big ol' world. Now, I would do anything to protect her. I want to shield her from all the dangers, pain and evil of this world. And as her Mommy, I'll strive to do my best.
My tip? Just love your little one to pieces. You can never give your child enough love. And the reward for your effort and patience will be when your children shower their children, your grand children, with the love they were shown, growing up.
|
|