10 Totally helpful Tips for a first time Mom
I still remember when I gave birth to my first born because it was the best day of my life. That feeling of excitement that easily took over the feeling of being scared. That feeling of realizing you just experienced love at first sight and that feeling of “I do not see my life without you in it”. Being a first time mom for me was hard and very busy. I’m sharing with you tips for a first time mom to help you transition smoothly.
I want you to know that you will get through the newborn stage and you will enjoy being a mom. Being a new mom is a lot to get used to. You are now responsible for this cute human being and it can get overwhelming fast. I have learned so much from being a first-time mother and you know what? All of the advice in the world will not prepare you for your new motherhood journey. You will learn with time and with a lot of patience.
That being said, I hope these helpful tips for a first time mom(that’s you!) that will help you overcome the “New mom syndrome”, oh yes, there is such thing! Well at least it should be a thing. I have learned a few tricks and tips to be less stressful and to just enjoy being a mother, I hope you find these tips helpful.
10 totally helpful tips for a first time mom
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1. Sleep while baby is sleeping
I would hear this all of the time with my two pregnancies. You have to rest and even better sleep while your baby is sleeping. Sleeping will give you a boost of energy and will make you feel better. When you are well rested you can take on the new born responsibilities with a positive attitude. Sleep or nap even if it’s for 20 minutes, trust me it will make a huge difference in how you feel.
Teach your baby how to self soothe early on. This is going to help you sleep more, be more productive and less overwhelmed. Here’s how your baby can self soothe and sleep on his own!
2. Ask for help
Do not feel embarrassed because you are asking for help, it’s fine! You need help, so ask your mother, sister, close friend or a neighbor that you trust. I am not including your husband because I am assuming he will help you, but if he needs a little reminder ( like mine sometimes did), go ahead and hit him with one of your baby’s toys, haha! Asking for help will not make you less of a mother, it will make you a real mother. Everyone needs help!
3. Be the Mother that you want to be
okay, this one is a must. You have to be happy with the way you are parenting your child. Trust your gut and trust your heart. If you do not want or can’t breastfeed, is okay, if you want to co-sleep with your baby, is okay as long as your baby is in a safe sleeper. Being the mother that you want to be, will make you the best mother that you can be.
Here’s an awesome online breastfeeding class! Learn how to breastfeed successfully in just 90 minutes!
4. Eat
Sometimes as a new mom you tend to forget to eat, believe me it happened to me before. All of the excitement of a new baby, all of the running to get this and that. All of your family members and friends visiting to see the baby and of course you have to be a good hostess, it takes a toll on you and your appetite. So mommy, just take a break and nourish yourself, your baby needs you to be happy and healthy so he/she can grow happy and healthy too!
5. Ask questions
You are a clean slate right now and therefor you need all of your concerns and insecurities answered. So go ahead and ask your mother, sister, friend, doctor or even a stranger. They will be happy to answer all of your questions and this will give you a sense of ease. Like my professors in college would say “there’s no such thing as a stupid question”. So ask away!
6. Cry if you have to
Let’s face it, being a new mom is a little bit terrifying and sometimes you may feel alone. Sometimes you may feel like your husband is not helping you enough and sometimes you may feel like this thing called motherhood is just not for you. I had those feeling and you know what, I think all of us moms have at one point or another. It’s okay if you want to cry, because it will make you feel a little better that you released some of those emotions that had been cooking up inside. You want to know something? All of us “experienced” moms still cry sometimes, welcome to motherhood.
7. Have a routine for baby
I think having a routine for your baby is crucial, specially a nap time and sleep time routine. Maybe right now your baby does not sleep 8 hours in a row, but at least for nap times you can set up a routine. I did it with all three of my kids and it made me feel better, happy and in control.
8. You will learn as you go
Do not try to figure out everything at once because honestly you will go crazy. Everything has its time and place, so just learn as you go and things will start to make sense. Do not rush and just relax a bit.
9. Know that you are not alone
You really are not alone, just look around you, there are mothers everywhere. From new mommy like you, to experienced moms like me, to grandmother’s, aunts, sisters, friends, neighbors. Come on! cheer up and go ahead and make mommy friends. They will understand you the most and will give you helpful insights about being a mom. You can learn from them, as well as they can learn from you. Us moms need to stick together.
10. Enjoy your new role
This is by far the most important tip I can give you. Being a mom is amazing, but I have a feeling you already know that. So embrace your new role as a mom, enjoy your little one and just appreciate those little moments. They grow up so fast! So savor everyday, every minute and every second of your time with your baby, because you will not want to miss any of it.
Quick recap:
Hope you found these helpful tips for a first time mom useful. As a first time mom, you are getting used to your new role as a mama. You are slowly learning the ropes of taking care of your newborn and also dealing with all of the emotions that comes with it. This is new to you but I promise you will get the hang of it. It may be very hard at the beginning but it does get easier. You are going to be an amazing mom, do not doubt it!
Just remember to:
- Sleep when baby sleeps
- Ask for help
- Be the mother that you can be
- Eat
- Ask questions
- Cry if you have to
- Have a routine for your baby
- You will learn as you go
- You are not alone
- Enjoy your new mommy role
I hope you found these totally helpful tips for a first time mom useful in adjusting to being a new mommy. Welcome to this crazy, fun, loving, you will never sleep again life of Motherhood.
Do you have more tips to add to this list? Please comment below!
Oh these are all great tips and are certainly very relevant to me right now! Even though I have six kids, I feel like I need to re-learn everything each time. I always try to remind myself to just enjoy the time when my babies are little because they grow up so fast. I try to cut myself some slack and just do the best I can. It’s so tough though and sleep deprivation makes it 10 times worse! I’m so glad you shared these tips. They are so helpful!!
Melanie @ Happy Being Healthy recently posted…New Workout Gear from DICKβS Sporting Goods + a $25 Gift Card Giveaway
Thank you so much Melanie! I am happy you found them helpful too, you are right these tips goes for any mom, new or old. We do tend to forget sometimes and remind ourselves that kids grow up so fast! So we have to enjoy every second of it π
Great tips! You definitely need all of these when you first become a mother. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, but knowing there’s help out there makes it less stressful.
Shann Eva recently posted…Micro Preemie Updates β Our First Four
All great tips and I know as I am a mother to a 4 years old. No. 8 “You will learn as you go” is perhaps the most important, as it is important to accept that one cannot be knowing everything before one faces it.
Priya recently posted…30 Things to do with kids on weekends in Bangalore
Great tips for me to file away on my pinterest board for the someday kiddos time of my life! On a side note I love that you offer your blog in both english and spanish.
Becki S recently posted…Fluffly Friday: Meet Shiloh
Thank you Becky! Yes definitely useful for mammas in the future time. Thank you im happy you like my bilingual blog π
Thank you Priya! It’s true as mother’s we have to learn as we go and nor stress over things that has not happened yet.
Thanks Shann!! Knowing that we have people that we can ask for help is a great feeling and we will definitely be less stress π
Love these tips. Even as a mom of a 10 year old and a 5 year old, they ring true to me!
Thanks Nichole! you are right, we as mom does not matter if new or more experienced we can all relate~!
Some simple but beautiful advice, I hope everyone that reads it follows it. The best thing I found about being a new mother is how much your maternal instinct guides you at the beginning.
Thank you Adele! it is true, once you see your baby, your mother instincts kicks in immediately.