First-Time Mother Advice

Best advice for 1st time mothers...💜

As a first-time mother, it's normal to feel overwhelmed and unsure about what to expect. Here are some tips that may help:

Trust yourself: You have instincts that will guide you in your mothering journey. Trust yourself and your abilities as a mother.

Take Care of Yourself: Make sure to take care of yourself physically and emotionally. Get enough sleep, eat well, and seek support when you need it.

Build a Support Network: Surround yourself with people who can provide emotional support, practical assistance, and advice. This can include friends, family members, and other new parents.

Learn About Baby Care: Familiarize yourself with basic baby care techniques such as feeding, diapering, and soothing a crying babysoothing a crying baby.

Be Flexible: Remember that every baby is different and what works for one baby may not work for another. Be willing to adapt and try different approaches.

Expect The Mess: Parenting is messy, both literally and figuratively. Don't be afraid to make mistakes, and don't expect everything to be perfect.

Ask For Help: Don't be afraid to ask for help, whether it's from your partner, family members, or friends. You don't have to do everything on your own.

Enjoy The Moment: Try to slow down and enjoy the experience of being a new parent. These early months will go by quickly, and you'll want to savor the memories.

Remember, every mother and every baby is unique, and there is no one "right" way to do things. The most important thing is to be kind to yourself and to enjoy this special time with your new baby.

Major Considerations Before Having A Baby

Disclaimer: Answering these questions and checking all these boxes for yourself is just a start. Child birth is such a privilege and mystery and there are still so many unknowns. Seek and get all the support, medical and familial, that you need on this journey. All the best mama! 

To start, baby fever and the biological clock are real, valid and natural feelings experienced by both men and women. It’s usually the spark that leads to the creation of a family. They say hind sight is 20/20 so this post is an attempt to look further down the road at the practical considerations to factor in as you prepare for your new journey into motherhood. 

These five questions have been formulated based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs starting from the bottom of the pyramid going up. 

1. Are you able to provide a stable source of food, water, warmth and rest for yourself and growing child? Life happens and has a way of throwing us into a loop sometimes. In answering this question it’s important to think proactively. Do you have a stable source of income, savings, investments or employment insurance? Brainstorm different worst case scenarios and consider what your Plan A, Plan B & Plan C would look like if you ran into difficulty providing or accessing these basic needs. 

2. Are you able to provide a safe and secure environment for yourself and your growing child both (a) internally and (b) externally? (a) In answering this question first think of your body as your baby’s first place of shelter. If you’ve never carried a child full term before you likely won’t know what your body is capable of. Thinking proactively: You can scan your family’s reproductive history to see if there are any familial trends. Ask your mother, parent or anyone that may know of reproductive issues that run in the family. Additionally, you can go to a gynecologist and find some things out. They won’t know everything about your body but at the very least they can check on your reproductive organs to see if there is anything to be learnt before you conceive. They too will want to know if you have any family reproductive health issues. There are so many other checks and balances that can be done by a healthcare provider before you conceive such as mental health checks, iron levels, potassium levels etc. Also in general, women are advised to take folic acid prior to conceiving. In short, good overall health can make a huge difference on the journey. 

(b) Think of where you are living now and project as far as possible in your mind. Do you see yourself raising a child where you currently live? Is it safe and secure? Can you potentially make it a nest? For how long? Many healthcare providers usually advise that if you are planning a BIG Move to ideally do it before you get pregnant or at the very least in the very early days.  

3. Do you have support on this journey? This is actually a question that your healthcare provider will ask before or after you conceive. Ask yourself who is your village? Because quite frankly, pregnant women and new moms need support. Will you rely on the love and support of a partner, family members, friends, church group or other organization? You’d be surprised at just how much help and support pregnant and new moms need. It can make the difference for a healthy, trauma free pregnancy journey. 

4. What is your true motive for getting pregnant? On Maslow’s hierarchy of needs under psychological needs he talks a lot about human behavior, esteem and motivation. You have to have some heart to hearts with yourself to uncover if motherhood is truly your heart’s  desire or if you are pursuing motherhood because of other motives outside of yourself? 

5. Is it the right timing to start this journey considering the self actualizing goals that you’ve set for yourself? Because quite frankly some women have dreams and desires that are incompatible with their desire for motherhood. So ask yourself, based on what you are currently pursuing in life is it the right time for you to embark on motherhood? 

If you’re already on the journey and facing problems just know that help and resources are available around you if you reach out for help. 

4 Indoor Movement Ideas for Littles

No backyard or the weather outside is just not great? Here’s a quick back to basics list of 4 fun activities to keep littles preoccupied indoors. Print it out and put it up in case you run out of ideas.🤪You’re Welcome! What other indoor activities for littles would you add?

Breast Pumps: Are They Even Necessary?

“Breast Pumps, are they even worth buying?” This is a question many first time moms have asked themselves (myself included). This may seem like an obvious yes or no to those who are already moms and especially moms who have breast fed but for the budget conscious and minimalist mom, this is definitely a question worth exploring. Here are some results to this question as answered by real moms on social media:

Based on the results many moms believe breast pumps are not must haves (in certain instances) while others believe they are must haves in other scenarios. So let’s start with some of the reasons for moms saying it’s not a must have.

The number 1 reason  moms give for not needing to own a breast pump is if you are a stay at home mom who is rarely away from your child. In this case it may actually be more beneficial to spare yourself  this expense and to borrow a pump as the need arises. You can borrow a breast pump from a close friend or family member or rent one from your hospital or breastfeeding clinic.

Another alternative to owning or borrowing a breast pump is to practice the hand expression technique that lactation specialists teach in breastfeeding classes. The hand expression technique can help to deal with any temporary engorgement issues. Recap: If you are constantly with your baby, a breast pump may just be a nice to have or luxury item for you.

Here are some reasons/cases moms gave for saying a breast pump is a must have item for expecting moms. A breast pump is a must have for:

• Moms who have to go back to work early, travel or be away from their baby in general
• Moms who want to (or need to) take a break from breastfeeding every now and again
• Moms who want to involve other family members in the feeding process for family bonding
• Moms who need to release pressure in the breasts from milk over supply or engorgement in general.  

For those moms who fall in the breast pump as a newborn must have category here are my top picks (that I’ve actually used - you’re welcome!) for a breast pump: 

1. Medela Pump In Style - A pump with lots of useful accessories like a stylish tote, breastmilk storage bags, a cooler and ice pack, a battery powered charger, breast pads, nipple cream and extra bottles to store milk. 

2. Spectra breast pump - powerful, programmable suction that gets the job done in little to no time. Has a neat bottle holder to rest bottle of expressed milk and a night light so it's great for expressing in baby's nursey in the wee hours of night (if you need to.)

3. Hakka Breast pump - light weight, portable and gets the job done. Depending on your breast size it could even be hands free.

What is your take - is a breast pump a must have, nice to have or a luxury item? Have your say by commenting below! 

Vaseline: The Ultimate Diaper Rash Blocker

Now to talk about an experience that can scare any new mom and some seasoned ones too and that’s the first time baby gets a diaper rash. The last thing a mom wants is to see her little one uncomfortable and in pain; so here’s how new moms can prevent it from happening in the first place.

Step 1: Be sure that baby is wearing the correct size diaper. It’s especially important for chunkier babies who may be prone to skin irritation around the thighs.

Step 2: Change diapers often and on time. During each diaper change, properly wipe all of baby’s private area that is covered under the diaper which includes the genitals + inner thighs and the bum area. Be sure to completely dry the area with a clean rag after wiping.

Step 3: Apply a generous amount of petroleum jelly to the entire area covered by the diaper. A popular and well trusted brand is Vaseline but any petroleum jelly should work fine.

Remember it’s important to complete all these steps each time during the diaper change, to prevent diaper rash.

Disclaimer: Despite our best efforts as moms and despite following these steps, diaper rash could still occur for a number of other reasons including allergic reaction to a specific diaper etc. It’s important to seek medical help from your child’s doctor if the rash sticks around for more than a couple days after using diaper rash ointment. 

What steps do you take to make sure your baby is diaper rash free? 

Dorel Juvenile Safety 1st Complete Healthcare Kit - Spring Green

Healthcare and grooming for baby is a must so we had to get this Safety First kit that had all the things we were looking for at a really good price. it really is a convenient an must have kit for out of town trips. Our baby caught a cold while we were on Summer vacation and it was great to have everything in this go to pouch. We even added Vitamin D drops and and Tylenol to the pouch which came in very handy. 

We've seen many variations of the Safety First Kit on the market and it all boils down to the personal needs of the parent and child but it's definitely worth having one and customizing along the way.

What do you have in your baby's Safety or First Aid pouch?

We figured adults sleep best on a good mattress so babies must too! Right? That's why we went with the Sealy Baby Ultra Rest mattress from Walmart. We loved that it has a great height at 6" and has inner springs to provide good support up to toddler age. So far baby loves the firmness of the mattress, we did however have to get a padded mattress protector to lessen the plastic - y sound of the waterproof mattress (more to come).

What do you look for in a crib mattress?

The crib we chose for baby is the @storkcraft Avalon 4-in-1 crib. It was important for us to find a crib that is sturdy, budget friendly and converts up to a toddler bed. So far it's living up to what we expected. It was fairly easy to setup (always follow the instruction booklet), is sturdy, plus the sleigh design is so beautiful to look at. 

How did you go about choosing your crib? Drop a comment below 👇