Motherhood 101: After the Birth

This post will finish out the motherhood special edition posts. We have talked about the different stages of pregnancy and the birth. So what comes next? A couples sisters from our ward shared some insights about the baby's first month and parenting advice.

Lissa shared her insights about the first month -
"Everybody will want to give you advice on what to do with your kids.  Every parent is different and every child is different so listen to people's advice, but then figure out what works for you.  And don't be offended when random people tell you what to do--trust me, it will happen--if you don't agree with what they say, just smile and nod, then do what you want!  Don't lock yourself into specific ideas of how you will handle certain things.  Sometimes you think something before you have kids but afterwards you realize that things are going to work out differently than you thought.  For example, when I was pregnant, I said I would never have the baby sleep in my room with me.  I  changed my mind pretty quickly after I had the baby.  For me personally, I just found it much easier to have the baby in a bassinet next to me for the first few months."

Hallie also weighed in on the first month-
"One of the best pieces of advice I got was to not try to be quiet while my baby was sleeping.  Naturally, you begin whispering after your baby has gone to bed, or down for a nap.  Instead, try keeping some noise going, like a movie or the vacuum.  If you don't, your baby will become a light sleeper, waking up to the tiniest sounds, which will result in you getting less sleep."

Lissa also shared some advice about the plethora of baby products that are available-
"There are a TON of products/toys out there to help you keep your baby happy and occupied or to help you take care of your baby.  You do not need all of those things.  Obviously they can be helpful, but you can definitely live without.  I would recommend picking the two or three things that you think will be the most helpful for you and your needs and save for those instead of trying to get everything.  A bumbo seat and tray can be particularly useful for apartment living--high chairs take up a lot of space and you can definitely get by with just the bumbo and tray.  Even if you have a larger stroller, an umbrella stoller can be a great thing to have around." 

Finally we end with some advice from Lissa on how to keep it all in perspective:
"Try not to worry too much.  You will make mistakes, your baby will cry sometimes, life won't be perfect, but if you try to stay relaxed and not stress too much about everything, your baby will pick up on that and be happier.  Give your husband a chance to help with things.  Sometimes we women have a tendency to want to be in charge of everything baby-related and do everything ourselves.  The more you let your husband help, the better his bond with the baby will be and the more comfortable he will be with helping you (which will really come in handy later when you have more kids and really need the help)."