10 Pieces Of Advice For New Moms, By Moms

Motherhood is both exhilarating and exhausting. That’s we’ve compiled a few gems of advice for new moms, by moms. Read on for the moms of Reddit‘s stand-out tips for when you bring your bundle of joy home.

10. “Have a support network! It helps so very much to have a few hours available for basic self-care. An uninterrupted nap or a long, relaxing bath [is] truly heavenly when you’re stressed and need some time alone. Grocery shopping too is much, much easier when you don’t have to worry about your newborn suddenly crying and being unable to stop him or her.”

9. “Sleep when [the] baby sleeps, really. I know everyone says that but it’s true. As soon as that baby is down, put away your phone and sleep. It’s so easy to get distracted doing something and before you know it the baby is waking up.”

8. “Actually get to know your child before trying anything of certain. What might work for one baby won’t work for the next. Make sure you have different brands of [pacifiers] and bottles. My daughter refused any pacifier that wasn’t a specific brand for the longest time and she had a hard time with bottles that weren’t specific brands as well. Until she hit almost a year. Do the same with diapers and wipes. Fortunately, my daughter wasn’t sensitive to any specific brand but I had 12 different brands of diapers to make sure she didn’t have sensitivities to them.”

7. “Every baby and every family is different. Do what works for you guys, and remember you can’t spoil a baby.”

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6. “Don’t mom shame! Different moms do different things and it works! If a mom tells you she bedshares, keep your opinion to yourself, she’s probably heard it all. If she tells you she’s formula feeding, let it be. If she tells you she does anything different from you, just acknowledge it and move on. People parent differently and if it works for them, then let it be. Nothing is worse than feeling guilty about the way you care for your baby, and you wouldn’t want to be mom-shamed yourself.”

5. “Postpartum depression and anxiety are nothing to be ashamed of. Ask for help sooner rather than later. Dads can suffer from these too. Don’t neglect your relationship with your SO If you are having a baby boy, place a wipe over their penis in the beginning during diaper changes, you really do get peed on as much as everyone says. It’s more than okay to not be perfect. Your baby doesn’t need you to be perfect, they just need you to do your best. If mom is nursing and wishes to continue to do so, the first month is the hardest but it will get easier and the pain will subside.”

4. “I’d also add practice with the car seat before the baby is here. That s*** was complicated to me. Install the base before you think you’ll need it. I also recommend the Qeepsake app for storing memories and relevant photos and the selfie a day app for turning daily selfies into cool videos so you can see your newborn turning into a legit baby lol.”

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3. “Take a shower every day. Even if it’s for 2 minutes. You’d be surprised how much better you will feel afterward.”

2.  “There is no greater task than the ‘nothing’ you did yesterday, the ‘nothing’ you are doing today and the ‘nothing’ you will do tomorrow. Caring for a baby is all about the immediate experience, yet the first two years are all about investment.
It’s give, give, give and give some more. These are hard-fought, rough-and-tumble years that can cut us down to our core and take us soaring high above the clouds, all in the space of five minutes. And yes, as you do the hardest work of your life, it will seem like you’re not getting anything done at all. Crazy, huh? But here’s where it gets interesting… As much as you need and want a break now (and you should take one whenever you can), no mother has ever looked back on this time and thought, I wish I had held my baby less. Never I am just watching my 4month old he sleeps very frequently, which I enjoy because I can easily spend a lot of time.”

1. “Don’t panic every time the baby starts crying. Newborns only know how to do four things when they’re born – pee, poop, suckle and cry. That’s it. Babies cry for a huge variety of reasons – they’re hungry, they’re thirsty, they’re sleepy, their clothes are too tight, their diapers are chafing them, they have a full diaper that needs to be changed, they’re lonely, they heard a noise. And many more. Obviously, you need to keep a close eye on newborns but crying is not a reason to panic. If a baby DOESN’T cry often enough, that is [a] good reason for concern. I have four kids. When my oldest was a newborn we would sound the alarm the second he started crying. By the time we got around to our fourth, she’d be crying a good 5 minutes before we checked on her.”