Tips for First Time Moms and Motherhood

There is a lot to be said for the work a mother does, especially in the beginning stages of having a newborn in the house. I have three boys myself, all pretty close in age. I have learned that a lot of what you read in magazines and on a blog can be a sugar coated fantasy of raising kids. Sadly many moms feel the push to read every article and try to fit the mold. This article isn't going to do any of that, I am just going to give new mother's some helpful advice on getting into the habits and routines of motherhood!

One of the things I realized early on with my first son was this "sleep when baby sleeps" myth that seems to be a "fix all" to your problems. While it's great to sleep when baby sleeps at the hospital, when you don't have dishes piling in the sink. But when you have all that other stuff to worry about, sleeping when baby sleeps, doesn't always make sense. It seems that most magazines figure you have loads of friends and family willing to pitch in as well as hubby too. And if you do, then please do sleep! But not every one has people who can do their dishes and laundry while hubby is at work and your napping.

So my first word of advice is to prioritize. While you may feel like a walking zombie, just figure out what needs to be done, and what can wait a while. Also, there are going to be many times your baby doesn't want to be held, but will still be awake, times when she is just dazing and looking around absorbing the world around her. These are the moments you could throw a wash in or wash a few dishes. You don't need to tackle it all at once, just enough so you have some spoons, bowls and cups clean! If you are exhausted, by all means sleep when baby sleeps, just don't feel like you have to cause that's some kind of "rule" as everyone would have you believe.

Cooking is another thing that I have read about in so many magazines. Mother's boast about how easy it was to come home and know they prepared enough meals and froze them, to survive for months without cooking. Well, I wasn't that mother and I don't know many who are. Again, if this is you, that's great, I really appreciate that! But for mother's like me, that makes me feel inadequate. I didn't come home to trays of previously cooked lasagna, casseroles and other meals that I cooked in my ninth month of pregnancy. If you are like me, than sandwiches will be your friend! Your not going to have a lot of time to cook and your not going to want to do ALL those dishes after eating either. I lived on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches which eaten on whole grain bread provide protein and good carbs! Go for the quick stuff, but don't skimp on nutrition! Things like bagged salad and precooked cut up chicken will be your friend!

My last myth that magazine moms all seem to tout about is how they can never get a shower. They all whine that it's impossible to get anything done and they have greasy hair stuck to their scalp with spit up on their shirt. Come on, ladies, you are in one of the most emotional times of your life - do you know how important is is to get a shower so you can feel better about yourself? Looking in the mirror at myself in my nighty with greasy hair, yesterdays make-up (if any at all) and spit up covering 60% of my body along with leaking breast pads would drive me to insane tears! Make time for a shower, even if it's 2am when your darling baby won't stop crying. You could either sit there and cuddle her for four hours until she's asleep, or jump in the shower for twenty minutes and blow dry your hair. Don't feel guilty, as a matter of fact, many babies will fall asleep to the sound of the shower and hair dryer! And if not, at least when you hold your precious little one, you smell better! Not only that, but warm water from the shower lessens the pain of engorgement from over stuffed breast milk!

You don't have to listen to everything you hear or read, including my article. But I have been there and I do know what it's like, so I hope this article has given you something helpful to take with you on your new journey through motherhood!

If you enjoyed this article, you may find these articles helpful and enjoyable to read!

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