The day my was born was one of the most confused days to me. I didn't know how to adapt with an infant, and I certainly didn't feel the "utmost joy", "boundless happiness" that everyone talked about.
I felt worried, confused, and scared.
"Am I ready to take care of a baby?"
"What should I do?"
It was a whole new world that opened before me and waited for me to discover. I know how to take a shower, and yet I had to learn how to give someone that is so fragile a shower without hurting him. I know how to eat, and I had to learn how to feed someone from a bottle or breastfeed. Dang it was hard.
I believe you feel the same.
As a first time mother, how do you understand what your child wants?
First mother, what is the way to raise children from an early age so that children develop intelligence? ...
But instead of rushing me into the parenting mood, which was completely strange to me, I wish someone, or I had known something before giving birth, so that I didn't have to go through the depression phase. And I believe a first time mom should know them too.
Things First Time Mom Should Know: Body Changes
Eyes appear dark and puffy
When you become a mother, you will rarely get a full night's sleep. At nights you have to wake up because of your baby's crying for hunger or diaper change.
Urine leakage
If you have a normal delivery, after giving birth, the private area becomes "loose", just blowing gas or laughing loudly can make women urinate. It is not disgusting though, it is just normal.
Menstruation reappears
Depending on the individual and the method of delivery, the period will return sooner or later. On average, menstruation will return after 9 months.
Even though people say you cannot get pregnant after having your baby, but if you don't want to get pregnant so quickly, don't take any chance. Tell your husband to use the damn condom, you cannot drink birth control pills at this time.
Body is no longer slim, fit, or lean
Pregnancy makes the abdominal muscles relax, plus the weight gain during the period, so your figure is no longer as beautiful as before.
However, don't worry too much! The fastest way to lose weight for new mothers is to breastfeed more. The more your baby suckles, the more milk will be stimulated and "withdrawal" the excess fat on the body quickly, helping you to be agile after 2-3 months.
Hair loss
During pregnancy, the mother also shares nutritionn with the baby and this leads to hair loss. Therefore, after giving birth, you should replenish nutrients and use hair care measures, beauty secrets will help dense hair and healthy skin like before.
Things First Time Mom Should Know: Emotion Changes
"Tired" but "Fun"
You will feel overwhelmed when you need to watch and take care of a little human being. There is even more pressure if your child has some conditions or special things.
However, don't you just love to smell your little one, kiss his super soft skin and your heart is overwhelmed with too much love for him?
To get rid of the negative emotions of motherhood, you should spend time for self-care and apply some parenting methods, such as EASY, to take care of your kid easier.
The stress and pain of breastfeeding
Most first-time mothers find it difficult to breastfeed. The baby does not suckle milk or your baby bites you, or you have a cracked nipple.
The main reason is that the baby does not latch properly on to the breast to stimulate milk. So, if you are a first time mother and you do not know how, ask your midwives for help or from grandmothers, grandmothers, and close sisters to guide you on how to latch.
The pressure of not knowing how to take care of a child
For the first time as a mother, you will be very surprised to know why your baby is crying and not know how to take care of your baby.
Don't worry, it gets better.
Things First Time Mom Should Know: Tips To Enjoy Your Very First Parenting Journey
Listen and understand your child
Infants cannot speak, they communicate by crying. Therefore, you need to learn to observe your child's expressions to have a suitable way to handle it, absolutely without stress or haste. From the age of 6 months, babies begin to grasp and learn to get used to everything around them, and that's when they know different ways to communicate.
In addition to eating and sleeping, babies also need to communicate and talk to people. At this time, mothers should meet this need of their children by hugging, talking, and playing together so that the baby can develop brain, emotions and other senses.
Taking care of mother and baby's health
According to folklore, after giving birth, a woman must abstain from many things to ensure the health of mother and baby. However, not all of this is true. Because, excessive abstinence will easily lead to malnutrition, lack of resistance and the risk of depression, which is very dangerous for the mother.
So what should mothers do to know what to abstain to be good for both mother and baby? Go to medical facilities to get advice from a doctor or attend antenatal care courses to ensure that the information you receive is scientific knowledge.
Mothers need to read good books and articles about child care experiences
Preparing knowledge to take care of a newborn is essential for first-time mothers, but how to take good care of a baby is a question that many mothers always ask.
Good thing is, those knowledge are available everywhere. Internet, books, courses, etc.
Some good books to consider reading:
THE all-time classic parenting book.
The world’s best-selling, best-loved guide to the instructions that babies don’t come with, but should. Full of tips and easy to understand.
Give you overall picture of what to expect. Full of scientist information, can be used a a general guideline.
Self-care
Related Read: Skin Care While Nursing
Being a mother for the first time brings you sweet emotions mixed with surprise and having to temporarily put aside the habits of your single life.
No longer do you have parties, dates with groups of friends, nights of staying up late chatting or watching movies and sleeping in until noon. Instead, you have to cover her head with diapers, milk, the baby's cry... There may be times when you feel stressed or tired. Please relax a little and put some self-care in your day.
You are doing great and you are worthy!
If you want a quick 5 minutes self-care from time to time, read on my tips for quick self-care.
Ask for help
You are not in this alone. You cannot make a baby alone. Ask for help. It doesn't mean you are weak and unworthy, it means you are a normal human being and a wonderful mom.
Learn how to bathe a newborn
Most first-time mothers will be very confused from how to hold a baby to how to bathe a newborn. Babies' bodies are extremely soft and small, and their skin is very vulnerable to external factors.
So, for the first time as a mother, learn how to bathe your baby by asking your mother or asking for guidance from your doctor or obstetrician. In addition to learning how to bathe the baby, you will also need to know how to take care of the umbilical cord to help it fall off quickly and not get infected.
Learn more about infant skin care
Dry skin, diaper rash, red skin, eczemas, etc. There are many factors that can impact your baby's skin. That's because, during 9 months and 10 days, babies are formed and grow up in the womb. At birth, babies are suddenly exposed to a new external environment, causing the skin to not adapt quickly and react with a rash.
At this point, you need to consult with your doctor to choose which type of shower gel is suitable for babies and topical medications (if any). On the other hand, you can also learn about baby bath leaves with natural extracts that will be gentle on baby's skin and reduce skin irritation.
Learn how to properly feed your baby solids
Many first-time mothers feel that raising children is like a battle. Breastfeeding, diapers, crying, playing and pooping again, ... everything makes the mother exhausted. That's not to mention, 6 months go by very quickly and then the 2nd war will be weaning.
Please calm down, don't worry. First of all, the mother should learn how to properly feed the baby, including what principles help the child to be more organized and easier to eat.
As long as you have enough knowledge, the baby's weaning becomes extremely simple. An important note when babies eat solids is not to force them to eat but let them eat just as much as they need. As children get used to it, they will enjoy eating and eating more than you.
Final thought
Hopefully with what I share about what first time mom should know, you have an idea of what to expect and how to cope with it.
Even if you don't, don't worry. You are doing great and everything will be ok. You will figure it out little by little.