
Pregnancy/Baby
Survival Tips: The Best Advice I Ever Got
Special Baby issue: 2006
At my baby shower/mother blessing, twenty or so women went around the room and one at a time gave me a bead and offered a blessing or wish for my passage into motherhood. One that really stuck was given by a mom who, as she bounced her 6 month old on her hip, told me, "All you have to remember is to love
him and feed him - everything else will work out just fine." Alexa Shea
As a first time mother of a 3 month old, my best advice is to
appreciate every minute! Babies change
and grow so quickly, I feel like I have a different baby every
week! Each day is precious. So no matter how hard it may seem at
times, I try to treasure every poopy diaper, every cry and every
long night because I know this stage won't last long. Other things
can wait. When you look back later in life, you won't remember
whether your floor was spotless or your dishes were always done.
But if you surrender to the experience of motherhood and enjoy
it, you will have amazing memories that can't be replaced! Stacey
Overstreet
Get the book called The Happiest Baby on
the Block by Harvey Karp,
MD. I just wish I had gotten this book with my first baby. It is
a quick, easy read and I just love it! A lot of the advice in the
book is what the nurses do for your baby in the hospital (like
swaddling), but we don't tend to do when we get home with the baby.
Being a new mom is often so overwhelming that you don't take time
to stop and study a book, but if you read this short book prior
to having your baby you will be well prepared for bringing that
new bundle of joy home.
One of the best baby shower gifts I received was
a sound relaxation machine. The "white noise" on the machine mimics
the sounds the baby hears inside the womb and I would always turn
on the "white noise" before I put the baby in the crib for nighttime
sleeping. Ann F. Hunt
Take one last "alone" trip with your husband before the baby arrives
because these trips will never be the same again.
Not to mention
it's hard to find the time and money to do it after the baby. Get
on the baby's schedule. In other words take lots of catnaps when
the baby naps and let the house go. Rest, rest, rest when you can.
It's easier said than done. I rarely take a nap when I should. The
chronic sleep deprivation is the hardest part for me and I'm sure
for many new moms. Nell
Burn the books! In the first year there really is
no "schedule"
since babies change so fast. Yes, you really can survive on less
sleep than you could have ever imagined. Someday soon the clouds
will clear and life will be better than you ever imagined. For
me, it was at 6 months. Not the 3 or 4 months like so many moms
told me. Stop worrying. Just keep on being a loving mother and
it will all work out.
If your first months are really hard, just trust that whatever
you are going through is necessary to bring about the great qualities
in you for future motherhood. And some advice for the brave ones
attempting natural birth: You are so much stronger than you know.
Your experience will be unlike anybody else's. Be sure to bring
your birth plan with you to the hospital!
Some things I could not have lived without: a sling (I recommend
the Maya Wrap); a back/front pack carrier (I recommend the city
sport Snugli); and the 5 in 1 adjustable gym by Little Tykes. Maggie
Moore
Let others hold your
baby when they ask. This will give your arms a break and
allow baby to feel comfortable with others. Let your husband
or partner do what they want with their baby. Trust them with
the baby and remember you could not have created this baby without
them. Sleep whenever the baby sleeps and let someone else worry
about the house for a few weeks!
Enjoy all of the endless holding, rocking, cuddling etc. with your
new baby because they grow up so fast and no longer want to be
held. Trust your instincts and stop reading all of those crazy
books! Don't try to do everything yourself. You can only handle
so much. Kristina Wallace
Everyone in the world, whether they've had children or not, is
an expert on how you should handle yours, especially people who
haven't raised a child in 25 years. Do what
makes you comfortable and happy and ignore the idiots. Reign Streiter
The miracle blanket (a special swaddling blanket) was hands down
my favorite item. It helped me to get sleep when I needed it most,
around the 4 week 3 month age. The first night I put my newborn
in it, he went from sleeping 3 hours to 6 hours and sometimes longer.
It was also useful to have Dr. Harvey Karp's book, The
Happiest Baby on the Block, which helps explain the usefulness
of swaddling. The miracle blanket can only be ordered online at
www.miracleblanket.com.
The ones sold at the local stores don't compare. Beth Lovern
Prepare your children for transitions.
Don't just pick them up and put them in the car for a trip to the
grocery store. Give them time to prepare. Tell them, "You
can color for five more minutes and then we are going to the store
to get some milk and bananas." This simple strategy has prevented
many tantrums. Chris
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