5 Things I Wish I Knew as a New Mom

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Every spring and summer is birthday season for my girls. It feels like just yesterday we were taking them home from the hospital. I remember setting baby Sophia down for the first time in her new home, her new life, and kind of wondering, “Now what?” As much as you can read books for expectant moms (raises hand), nothing can prepare you for the newness of having your first baby. Well… I shouldn’t say nothing. There are a bunch of things I learned from experience with my first that really paid off immeasurably with my second go-round. Take a look at these tips below. They are things that I wish I knew about being a new mommy.

5 Things I Wish I Knew as a New Mom

1. Baby’s Gonna Cry!
And that’s okay. This may get reactions from well-meaning people all around you, but it’s not a big deal every time baby cries. It’s actually a very small deal most of the time. And it’s going to happen so often. If neighbors and even family members seem to act like something must be terribly amiss if baby isn’t cooing and smiling every waking moment, they are the ones with an infantile sense of what babies really are.

Especially between the age of 3 weeks and 3 months, babies have a strong biological need to cry. Regardless of how “good” of a mommy you are, you are going to encounter the “witching hour”. Often, but hardly exclusively occurring in the early evening, babies need to let out a good hour or two of crying. Often hard and often continuous, you have to be mentally and emotionally prepared for it as you can. It’s never enjoyable or pleasant, but it can be less miserable and scary for a new mom, if you know it’s normal and healthy.

2. Focus on the big picture!
Don’t sweat it if there are little bumps in the road. Obviously, be educated about baby’s issues that need medical attention. Ranging everywhere from diaper rashes to early signs of autism, it’s important to know the generally accepted medical advice and when to see the pediatrician. Once you are well-read on the basics, just tuck that knowledge away in the back of your mind. You’ll know if you’ll ever need to take action. Don’t bring that worry with you into daily life with baby every day.

I recently discovered https://www.mommyauthority.com and it’s full of valuable resources for new moms (and seasoned moms, too) looking for real-life advice. From nutrition tips to parenting guidelines, be sure to visit them to make navigating this world of parenthood of a bit easier.

3. Stay in the present!
Every moment you spend thinking or worrying about baby’s future is a moment missed. Be in the now with your family, and soak it up as much as you can. Take ridiculous amounts of videos and pictures, but most of all, don’t forget to enjoy and appreciate this unique time.

4. Take care of mommy, too.
You will eventually regret it if you fall into the trap of not paying any attention to your own needs. People often say that “it’s all about baby now” and while that is kind of true, it is not the only truth. Find opportunities to sleep. Find time to exercise. Find time to read a magazine or get your nails done. If it becomes all-baby all the time, you’re doing yourself a disservice in the long run.

5. Don’t aim for perfection!
Infancy is going to have more than its share of fails. So whether you are having a rough time with sleep-training, or introducing solids, or remembering to give baby daily tummy-time, you are definitely not alone. In fact, if all this stuff is coming easy to you, you might very well be alone.

Like one of Sophia’s nurses said at the hospital the day after she was born, with a dismissive hand-wave: “Eh, they all grow up.” Wide-eyed with mortal terror at the time, whenever I think about those words now, I cannot believe how right they are.

I hope some of these tips made a bit of an impression on you. Please let me know in the comments section if you can relate, and share your own tips.

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