Mommies what advice would you give me a new mommy that you wished you received?

I am the youngest of 3 and the only girl.


I have 6 male cousins and the only females in my family are over 60 and they advice they give either sucks or is near frightening.





I was wondering what piece of advice would you give me that you wished you would of received before you had your baby.Mommies what advice would you give me a new mommy that you wished you received?
Breastfeeding is the best!! It's hard, but stick with it (If it's what you want to do) it's sooo worth it!!!





You are going to read many things either in books or online, but bottom line is, you are the child's mother and only you can determine what is best for your child!!Mommies what advice would you give me a new mommy that you wished you received?
get a doctor who is pro-breast feeding if you plan to breast feed. know that your baby will nurse all the time in the first few weeks. nurse and sit down and don't try to do too much -- it helps your body recover quickly.





also, if you get induced don't let them give you pitocin -- have them break your water first. pitocin is the devil. I suggest watching 'the business of being born' and having a very good birth plan. make sure your husband knows your plans and make sure you have supportive people with you when you deliver. get nursing advice from an international board certified lactation consultant -- not a nurse posing as an LC. drink a lot of water.





and your feet and ankles are going to swell SO MUCH following birth. no one ever told me that. it's due to water retention. put those feet up.





keep tags on clothes that you're not sure your baby is going to wear. you can return them or at least sell them for a higher price than you would if the tags weren't attached. and lastly, baby dreft is a waste of money. your baby is being held by you and you're wearing clothes washed in regular detergent.
don't get yourself worried into a frenzy reading so many childrens' health books,';what if this could be wrong with my baby';,';oh my god my child has these symptoms';.reading so much can eventually make you a worry wart ALWAYS ask your pediatrician,never take others advice over your own instincts or your babies pediatricians' advice and write down all of your concerns so you will be prepared and get all of your questions answered at your next well-child appt.Also,if your child does come down with something write down everything,every symptom,when they started how long they lasted,appetite,etc.And,in case of food allergies when introducing new foods,beverages,keep track of what and when and keep new foods like a week apart so there is no confusion as to what caused the allergies and it's a new age so you really shouldn't listen so much to old wives tales,no offense to old wives ALWAYS LISTEN TO YOUR PEDIATRICIAN,but remember you know your baby best
Take help when it is offered to you, take plenty of pictures of the baby with relatives (especially the older ones who may not be around for much loniger) take advice from others with a grain of salt ---- some of it will be good, some won't be. Use your common sense to do what you feel is best. And for the first couple of months sleep while the baby is sleeping even if you have dishes and laundry and sweeping, ect. Good luck to you!
Do what feels right to you. No doctor, nurse, mother in law, or even husband knows your baby like you do.





Breastfeed your baby for as long as you can. I'm not talking 4 years here (the benefit to baby actually decreases after a year). I breastfed for 14 months, my sister nursed 5 kids including twins who she nursed 13 months. You will have to do it a lot at first but it will taper off and you will be thankful you did. The first week will be fine, second and third will be painful, after that it's smooth sailing.





Don't have sex if you don't feel like it. Birth is traumatic. Feel free to wait until your 6 week checkup. You probably won't even think about sex because you will be so tired anyways!





Sleep when the baby sleeps is baloney. You will feel compelled to do those dishes, the pile of laundry, and sweep the carpet. Accept help and ask for it when you need it. I would lend a hand to any new mother after going through it myself and those people who offer help...call them!





Hold your baby whenever he or she needs to be held. I held my son and even let him nurse to sleep. He has no unhealthy attachments to me because by doing this I have made him realize that I will be there for him if he needs me.





Return any pacifiers you got at your baby shower. My son never used one. My step son however has a speech impediment because of holding one in his teeth t
Stick with breastfeeding. After the first two weeks, it gets much easier. After the first month you will be a pro. After 2 months it will be the greatest experience you have ever had.


It is tough at first, but very worth it.





Hang in there through the tough part, you CAN do it. Don't keep formula or bottles in the house to cause temptation. Hang in there, you won't regret it.
make sure you do research on vaccines and choose to or not to vaccinate for the right reasons, and your reasons. dont go by the book, go by your instict. always question your pediatrician. dont stick with a pediatrician if you dont agree with them.








ADVICE: dont listen to people that tell you picking up your baby ';too much'; will ';spoil'; them. dont CIO. put yourself in your babys shoes if you think about CIO.
If you are breastfeeding, do it as soon as possible after birth and don't give up. It is hard in the beginning because you are both learning but before you know it you will be walking around breastfeeding :-) Ask the lactation consultants ANYTHING....call them, see them, that is what they are there for.





It is ok to put down your crying baby in a safe place and walk away. You will get frustrated when you don't know what is wrong...it doesn't make you a bad mother.
People told me this, but I guess I didn't believe it until I had a baby of my own: the newborn stage passes by much too quickly. Having a brand new baby, stressful and life changing as it is, is just the most wonderful experience. Enjoy it because you can't ever get those days back! Good luck!
Don't worry too much about those developmental milestone charts you see online or hear about. Your child will do things when he/she is ready to, since all children develop at their own pace. If you do go by those charts, you may drive yourself crazy trying to figure out what's 'wrong' with your child. Some kids don't even crawl, and go straight to walking! Also, follow your 'gut'. If you feel something is wrong with your child, chances are something probably is....and act upon it. Don't let others tell you that you are being 'paranoid' or 'just being a new mom'. Do what YOU feel is right for YOUR child. And never apologize for your choices or decisions. You do what is good for you and your family.
Breastfeed the baby when it is hungry. When our daughter was a couple of weeks old, we were told (by my mother-in-law a nurse) not to nurse more frequently than every 1 1/2 hours, so we would listen to my poor daughter cry while we counted down the seconds. With my second baby, I am feeding him when he is hungry! Good luck!
Sleep, sleep now your gonna need it! Lol... If you want to breastfeed do not give the baby the bottle first it will just make it harder on you. Don't buy so many infant clothing they grow out of it too quickly! Don't put the baby to sleep with you, you will never get them out of your bed.
It's not about how much weight the baby gains, it is about the baby growing longer! I was always worried about my son not weighing enough and that he wasn't receiving enough milk. Doc finally told me you know that they are getting enough calories if they are growing longer.
Relax, know what *you* think is right and don't even try to be the perfect mother. You *will* make mistakes, you *will* feel bad, you *will* want time out and you *will* feel like screaming.... this is ALL perfectly normal and does not make you a bad mother!








Also, enjoy the last of your baby free days :)
RELAX RELAX RELAX RELAX!





I spent the first months of my daughters life freaking out if the house wasn't PERFECT, thinking that everything I did was wrong, and a million other things to add stress on myself.





The truth is, your baby is not going to break. Just enjoy him/her. . . and take things as they come. NO mom is perfect and everyone has their own style...just find yours





Congrats!
That almost EVERYONE finds breastfeeding hard to begin with, I thought I just sucked and was ready to give up, then luckily my friend visited and told me that she had heaps of trouble to and it gets alot easier.
Advice I got I wish I had listened to if he's dry, not sick, and full it's ok to let him cry a bit I also wish I had listened to don't hold him all the time.
Just enjoy it...





Don't sweat the small things!





And sleep as much as you can before you little one arrives!