Ten Things New Moms Might Want To Know

Becoming a new mom is riddled with questions and self doubt.  Lots of questions are asked in our minds like “am I doing this right?” or “is my baby getting what he/she needs?”

I’m linking up with the fabulous Stasha at Northwest Mommy for her fantastic Monday Listicles again to talk about Ten Tips For New Moms.

As a mom to three boys I’ve been-there-done-that (although I’m no expert by any definition of the word...survivor maybe, but expert?  Absolutely not!) and feel I should share with all the new moms out there some things they might need to know.  FYI, I’m a tell-it-like-it-is kind of gal, you’ve been warned.  So here it goes:

1)      If you’ve never had a hemorrhoid before childbirth, plan on having one afterwards (or several).  It’s just the way it works.  Unless you are extremely lucky and if that’s the case, I don’t think we can be friends.

2)      If you decide to follow your Doctor’s orders and have 1 to 2 hot sits baths a day to help rid you of the hemorrhoids and help you heal your stitches faster (if you have them) DO NOT take these sits baths while being engorged.  Bad, bad, BAD combination.

3)      If you are engorged, I’m so sorry.  I know what it feels like and it’s horrible.  There is nothing worse than feeling like you have two personal-sized watermelons just hanging out on your chest.  The damn cabbage leaves never worked for me.  I had to go to the pain meds prescribed by my doctor.  Just know that if your Doctor knows you plan to breastfeed he will give you a pain med that is okay to take.  Don’t be afraid to ask.  And if you just can’t do it anymore, it’s okay to stop.  You are not hurting your baby by doing so!  Make the decision that is best for you and your child, nobody else.

4)      This is something that everyone EVERYWHERE says, but it is so true.  Sleep when your baby is sleeping.  Doesn’t matter if it is at 9am or noon or 9pm.  You need to sleep when your baby is sleeping because….

5)      You will be up A LOT!  Changing, feeding, or comforting your baby at all hours of the night and day. 

6)      Avoid the visitors.  Seriously, the last thing you really want in your house after giving birth and feeling like you look like crap is people coming over to see you and your new bundle of joy.  Give yourself time to just be.  Be with your baby, be with your family and be in this brand new role of yours.  That being said…

7)      DO accept help from others.  Accept meals that people offer to make and bring over for you.  DO accept the help people offer to do laundry or dishes.  It gets one more thing off your plate and you can do what you are suppose to do which is be the mommy.

8)      If you decide to be brave and entertain the idea of becoming intimate with your husband again, bring a bottle of wine and a sense of humor.  You will absolutely need both of them. 

9)      You can never hold a baby enough.  There is no such thing as spoiling a baby.  Hold him/her as much as you want, or as much as they want.  Besides you get to soak up that sweet intoxicating baby smell. 

10)   Take pictures…lots and lots of pictures and videos because its true what everyone says, they grow up in a blink of an eye and you are left wondering where the time went and realizing that the hemorrhoids, engorgement and tenderness, fatigue, feeling of being overwhelmed, wondering if you will every get your body back, was all so very much worth it.  And for what it's worth.  You ARE doing it right, and your baby IS getting everything he/she needs because he/she has you!