New Mom Tips

as well as a lot of exhausting work. As a new parent, Kelly Pringle soon realized that any help she received was greatly appreciated. She spoke to other moms about their first months home from the hospital, and these are the top tips suggested for what helped them to manage their first few months with their new role as Mommy.

Prepare ahead.

Stock up on healthy meals. Prepare meatloaf, veggie dishes, and/or casseroles beforehand and freeze them for easy meals. Many grocery stores also offer an abundance of healthy frozen or prepared food. Stock up before your due date, do not leave it to the last minute. Remember babies have been known to come early. If you do get stuck in this last minute situation, have someone pick up some ready-made meals for you once the baby is born. Other moms have been there, so trust me, you will not be a bother. They will be glad to help. However, if you'd rather eat take-out, have your menus close by. For your health, and baby's, seek out the ones that will deliver healthy food, as opposed to fried (especially if breastfeeding).

Do not be afraid to ask for help.

As previously stated, other moms have been where you are and remember how much work it is as a new parent. They will be happy to help, if you just ask. Although everyone usually wants to visit and hold the baby, ask if they would mind doing a load of laundry, vacuum or some dishes? I did this for girlfriends of mine and felt great that I was able to help them out with what they really needed. If you are too busy and prefer, get a friend to recruit your helpers or ask them before you give birth. This will make your new transition much easier.

Drink water, water, and more water.

Doctors stress the importance of drinking a lot of liquids when breastfeeding to replenish the fluids lost. You will not realize how great water is until you nurse your baby. I found that I was constantly thirsty. It seemed that every time I began to feed, I realized I didn't have a drink. As any Mom can tell you, it is really difficult to get up and grab a drink in the middle of feeding your baby (nursing or bottle-feeding). A great tip I was told was to strategically place water bottles anywhere you expect you may end up feeding. ie. sofa table, in the baby's room, on your nightstand. In any case, be sure to drink a lot of water at this crucial time.

Find Moms' groups.

New moms can relate to the frustration, elation and exhaustion you will feel in those early months. Seek out groups where moms meet regularly and get a chance to chat with other moms. You may be surprised to feel that you are not alone in your feelings. Ask your doctor, midwife or doula for suggestions on finding a moms group, or set up a reunion with the parents in your prenatal class. Support from other people in similar situations is really helpful when you're tired and new at the baby experience. I found a cinema that played movies on Wednesdays strictly for moms and babies. They even set up change tables and supplied diapers outside the theatre. It was great. There are also groups that meet weekly to walk with their babies, and baby yoga or swimming. Find what works for you.

Take a break.

If possible take some alone time for yourself. We all know how hard it is to leave a new baby even for a minute, but you will be doing both of you a favor in the long run. Not only will you feel rejuvenated with some alone "Mommy-time" but your baby will start to realize early on that it is okay when Mommy leaves...she always comes back. (This can also give the Daddies time to build confidence in their own caregiving abilities.) Besides, you deserve it.

Rid yourself of the monotony of those sleepless nights.

I was up every few hours feeding my daughter. I felt constantly exhausted, and staring at a dark, blank wall in silence made me more tired and bored at times. To make the night shift more bearable, I would watch the TV on low or I rented comedies and popped them into the VCR while I fed the baby. I also had a great book that I read when she got a bit bigger and I could free up a hand. These helped me stay awake through my exhaustion, and made the feeding not seem as long.

Indulge yourself.

Ask any therapist and they will tell you to pamper yourself when going through a difficult time. Caring for your newborn certainly qualifies as a challenge, so reward yourself. There is no need to go bankrupt with a super shopping spree, but splurging on something small to life your spirits-- a new blouse or a great book to flip through when feeding -- will give you that boost when you need it.

Hire professionals if you can.

In the first few months, your baby should be your only major responsibility. It takes time, as we all know, to get the hang of being a mom. If you can afford it, have your laundry picked up, or hire a cleaning service to clean the bathroom. Or, get your partner to do some of the chores you previously did. Now, is a big adjusting time for your family, so getting the other household members help will be excellent in creating new patterns in the home.

Cry it out!

If you're having a particularly difficult day and you've tried everything else, cry it out. I believe that every new Mom I spoke with had crying bouts on more than one occasion. It's okay! Do not beat yourself up over it. Crying is very therapeutic, and better than taking it out on your baby. So, go ahead and have a good cry.

If you have any advice or tips for new moms, we'd love to hear them! E-mail us at info@angelthreads.com.

Kelly has also written an ebook called Pamper Your Baby - it contains recipes for all-natural baby products, baby food recipes, safety information, treating common ailments naturally and much more important baby information. Feel free to go and check out her free ebook all about babies. /div>

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