A Blast From My Past, Tips For Mothers-to-Be
Photo Credit: The AMAZING Rachel Absher
It’s hard to believe that I brought my very first baby home 21 years ago. Since then, I have been blessed to experience the ups and downs of motherhood three more times.
My children are now 21, 15, 9 and soon to be 8! I have made many mistakes—and I certainly do not claim to be an expert, but when The Honest Company reached out to me and asked me to share tips for new mothers-to-be; I thought it would be an excellent opportunity to reflect on my challenging, yet precious motherhood memories. Hopefully these tips will be helpful to those of you who’s lives are about to change in the most marvelous way. Being a parent is the hardest job that I have ever signed up for; but it has been accompanied by so many blessings along the way. Here are some takeaways from my memories…I hope you find them helpful.
Prepare. Ask for help to get your home baby ready. Friends and family will stand ready to assist. Make sure all items that you need are clean and ready. Catch up on your laundry and make sure you have plenty of comfy clothes. Button downs are great for breastfeeding, easy access is key for remaining sane. Keep body wipes close by at all times. This saved me when I was spit up on, or covered in some other type of baby bodily fluid. 😉 Just accept that you might have to surpass a shower for a nap.
Sleep. Make sure to get caught up on rest before the baby comes! When the baby sleeps, make sure you are SLEEPING. Don’t worry about the laundry and chores. Your house may be a mess for a few months until you get in a groove. Give yourself a break and focus on what is most important—being a healthy, rested mommy.
Eat. Breastfeeding or not, your body is going to need energy for long days and nights until you get on a normal schedule. Truth: I am still not on a normal schedule, if someone has tips for mastering that; I am all ears. 🙂 Always say yes if friends and family would like to put together a meal train. I was SO blessed by this as a new mom. Dinner is one less thing you will have to worry about.
Give Yourself A Lot of Grace. MANY things will not go as planned! Give yourself grace when things don’t turn out as picture perfect as they look in the magazines you have been reading. For me, my biggest disappointment was giving up breastfeeding with my first child. The lactation consultant took one look at his effort to latch on and said, “You’re doing everything right…that’s just a lazy baby!” I laugh about it now, but at the time I beat myself up. I was devastated. The Honest Company has amazing options for feeding your new baby. So make sure to visit their feeding site here. The blog on their website is another great resource! I absolutely love Jessica Alba—and I especially love her passion for providing moms with options for a safer, better start for their babies.
Make Time For YOU! Don’t be afraid to let Daddy or Grandma or even friends give you a break. Go out, get a massage, treat yourself to a quiet lunch or a mani/pedi. Go to the library and read a book in peace. Rejuvenate to recharge. It’s super important.
Soak it UP! Soak up this time. Every diaper change, bath time, rocking chair time, the first smiles and coos. Time passes so quickly and before you know it…your baby will be 21 years old too. Trust me when I tell you the days can be very long…but the years fly by. <3
XO,
C