It will come to you, parenting that is. How you do it will all just come to you if you let it.
As a first time earth side mama I have found myself more relaxed than I ever imagined. You may have heard the term of surviving the newborn weeks and there is really nothing better that encapsulates the sheer exhaustion and adjustment to life with a newborn.
If you expect the worst then everything is kind of made easier. I mean certainly don’t expect a full night’s sleep. Even if a specialists advice book full of baby routines says your baby should be sleeping through the night by now then it is a reminder for you mama that your baby is not a robot.
You just do what you gotta do to survive
Surviving the first six weeks sometimes means co-sleeping, letting your partner or family take the reigns and not being afraid to ask, ordering food delivery when you need it, invest in a nipple shield if breastfeeding (It will save you from that initial adjustment pain and you can wean it off after a few weeks), download a feeding app to track when your baby last ate/what boob from, when they slept. It will save you a whole lot of thinking! Read all about the baby sleep conversation here.
If I am honest as a new mama I am definitely anxious about a lot of things. I wonder if I am doing things right or fear the worst. I do choose to consciously not to focus on them though but wanted you to know your fears are just as normal and therefore most mama’s would never post about the things that worry their mind with true fear.
This is a good reminder that sometimes we all choose to focus on the highlight reel.
In light of surviving the newborn phase I wanted to share my parenting motto for the first time as an earth side mama and a beautiful group of mama’s from my due date group have also shared their number one motto or advice they would go back and tell themselves if they could to survive the newborn weeks.
From me to you…
Don’t question everything, just go with it. If you don’t laugh, you will certainly cry!
From mama’s who have been there and done that…
Whatever works for you do it! Breastfeeding will hurt at first but it does get better – Emili J
Decide how you want to parent your child and stand firm! Don’t forget to ask for help – Karina D
The nights are long but the weeks are short so cherish every moment to remember it – Lauren C
Don’t stress about the small things – Liz T
Just do you, what works for someone else may not for you so don’t get fixated on trying to get it to work or you’ll start to miss the pure beauty of the newborn days – Monika T
I couldn’t work out why it felt so hard but when they start smiling it all makes sense. You give so much in the first few weeks and get nothing back but soon enough you will! – Peta B
Hold the baby to hold the baby. Saviour those moments of your baby needing you, because you will truly miss it one day – Taniele R
This too shall pass – Rebecca J
It does get easier, they will look into your eyes and smile soon and melt your heart all over again – Cynthia R
Whatever ur expectations about motherhood are, let them go. Try to go with the flow and enjoy moments instead of holding onto an idea about how it’s supposed to be – Nay W
You WILL heal. Don’t expect a six week bounce back, it takes considerably longer than that – Rachel R
No two days are the same, go with the flow, have no expectations and you won’t be disappointed – Sarah J
Get out of the house every day, even just a walk to the park. I noticed the days I didn’t leave the house and everything got to me a lot more. Even now I still find I’m much happier if we leave the house even for 5 minutes – Amber J
Trust your gut. It’s your baby and your instincts are there for a reason – Rachel S
There is a whole lot more to surviving those hazy newborn weeks and you can read all about some more sleep deprivation tips from an experienced mama.
