We just celebrated Mothers Day; what a special holiday! No matter how you came to motherhood, it is a beautiful, honored title and should be celebrated all year round. For those of you who are new moms this year, the day is even sweeter, isn’t it?
At City Moms Blog Network, we are dedicating the entire month of May to all things pregnancy, baby, and new mom. Today, along with the help of our amazing Sister Sites, we have compiled a guide full of all things “New Mom”. We hope that these posts help you feel uplifted, understood, and above all, LESS ALONE. Happy belated Mothers Day to you all!!
Let’s Be Real: These are the 7 Best Ways to Help a New Mom (and Dad)
When visiting new parents, bring out your best hospitable guest manners or discover them for the first time. Be the unexpected. If you don’t agree, you’re at least guaranteed to be the first invited over to visit baby number two!
Let’s Make a Deal: An Attempt to Prevent New-Parent Stress
We made a pact, similar to wedding vows, that we both promised to keep to one another. We said that no matter how stressed out we became, we would not turn against each other. We would work as a team. If one of us became overwhelmed, the other would step in for support. We would give each other a break when we noticed that stress creeping in. We would not snap at the other person nor tell them that they were wrong. Because the reality was, no matter how many books or articles we read, or friends we talked to, or Baby Story episodes on TLC that we watched, neither of us really knew what the hell we were doing.
The New Normal: Life After Newborn
While I miss the days of just holding a teeny tiny sleeping baby in my arms, I realize that that’s not how it’s meant to be forever, and this new babbling, laughing, and scooting stage is pretty great too. I know that the new normal will change again and again, and our family will keep on changing with it.
New Mom Perspective: Motherhood is Vastly Underappreciated
No infinite number of mommy friends, parenting classes, self-help books or blog posts could have prepared me for what has been the toughest three weeks of my entire life. You see, three weeks ago, I became a mom.
Newsflash: No One Leaves the Hospital in Skinny Jeans!
Ha. I could barely walk after my c-section, let alone dress myself in something cute. I looked nothing like my pre-mama self. And in fact, it would be almost two years before I got my body back after having my sweet baby girl.
Things I Wish I Knew Before I Became a Mother
You will worry, feel judged, feel guilt and be so exhausted you feel like a zombie. But you will also love and be loved in a way that is so special that it’s impossible to describe the magnitude of it.
Never The Same: A Letter to My Sister Before the Birth of Her First Baby
And now in a few short days comes the next step. This baby of yours that has been long-awaited, given a silly nickname and prayed for daily will make his entrance. Your life is about to change, in so many ways. You are about to change even more.
A New Mom Challenge: Lowering Your Standards
The same rules apply at home. The house isn’t as clean as it was pre-baby and things are no longer just so. Time is just so much harder to come by. And the last time I washed my bathroom walls was when I was 9 months pregnant. So there’s that.
Dear First-Time-Mom Kara: Chill Out!
You will be okay. I’m not lying, first-time-mom Kara. You will get through this. Take a deep breath. Okay maybe two deep breaths. Sincerely yours, Second-Time-Mom Kara.
New Mom Confidential: My Post-Delivery Must Haves
Becoming a new mom is a joyful, exciting time. But it can also seem overwhelming. Give yourself a lot of grace, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Talk to your friends who are moms. Talk to your family members. Ask questions: no question is a dumb question…we’ve all been there! In no time you’ll be a veteran!
New Mom Reality Check
My daily (if I’m lucky!) 30 minute walk with my, sometimes sleeping, sometimes crying, baby is a metaphor of my new mom life. My uphill walk against the wind is like my daily climb up New Motherhood Mountain.
You Can’t Spoil a Newborn: Empowering New Moms Through Sage Advice
While that never-fail burping trick may be helpful, it’s not anything a new mom can’t read in an article. The thing that will truly make a difference in a new mother’s life is giving her the gift of confidence.
(Sometimes) Breastfeeding Sucks.
We saw that you were full of hopes and plans and expectations and you didn’t want to hear the bad things… we got it. We were exactly the same before our babies. And we sincerely hoped with ALL of our hearts that you would not have to go through what we had to go through. We hoped that maybe by not mentioning our struggles, you would somehow be exempt from experiencing them.
But the reality is, for many of us, well…
Let’s just say that breastfeeding was not our favorite thing about early motherhood. For some of us, breastfeeding downright sucked.
Listening To Your Gut.
The problem with these motherly instincts is that we run into resistance. While I will agree that sometimes my intuitions are incorrect, more often than not, my gut is spot-on. A few weeks ago my son woke up with a fever of 103F. This was the beginning of April so although the “flu season” had technically ended, my gut just told me that he had the flu. He had been exposed at daycare but it was two weeks prior to his fever occurring…
10 Must-Haves for New Mamas
There is seemingly no end to the Pinterest lists of what you need for a baby. (I know I pinned most of them!) Those lists rarely have things for moms-to-be. If they do, it’s almost as an afterthought. Now that my daughter is nearly two-years-old I realize taking care of mama is taking care of the baby.
Earning My B.S. in Motherhood
After two degrees, a combined 20 years in school, and eight years working in higher education, I’m a firm believer that learning is a natural and exciting part of my life. In this current season of my life, I’ve realized I’m earning my B.S. in Motherhood.
Losing My Identity
Every bit of me became about her. Especially because of her problems with weight gain, our breastfeeding struggles, her intolerances and reflux, and my infection from my c-section, I did not have time to think existentially about my identity. Since January 2nd, I’ve been going 200 miles a minute, trying to meet every demand of my precious baby girl. And so maybe that’s why it just hit me – I had changed.
Dear New Mom: You’re Normal
My sister just had her baby two weeks ago, so she is still very much in the newborn haze. She messages me daily questions like “Did you get sweaty at night too?” and “Why do I cry all. the. time.?” I constantly found myself saying “Oh yeah, I remember that! Yeah, that’s totally normal!” And sometimes, that’s all you need to hear. You are not crazy. You are not the only one who feels like this.
Losing My Identity
Every bit of me became about her. Especially because of her problems with weight gain, our breastfeeding struggles, her intolerances and reflux, and my infection from my c-section, I did not have time to think existentially about my identity. Since January 2nd, I’ve been going 200 miles a minute, trying to meet every demand of my precious baby girl. And so maybe that’s why it just hit me – I had changed.
The Worst Advice Given To New Moms
This parenting gig is hard work, and I don’t remember any kind of manual handed out on the first day on the job. Take it one day at a time, confide in your girlfriends, practice self-love and relish in the wins!
Items Every New Mom Should Have: For Her, Not the Baby
This first week is full of change, both in terms of adding a new person to your family and what your body is going through. Your body just made a miracle happen, and now it is working on healing—and trust me, this can be very uncomfortable.
Will I Ever Have It All Figured Out and Not Be a “New Mom”?
Suddenly, I found that I was allowing myself to respond to my daughter’s melt down with quiet hug, because I didn’t need an answer or a “teachable moment.” I just needed to take a breath while I figured out the next move, and honestly, that’s probably the case for all of us, a lot of the time.
The Best Postpartum Products for All New Moms
During a new mom’s recovery period, special focus and attention should be placed on her as she is not only recovering physically from childbirth but also emotionally as she adjusts to her new role of being a mom.
New “Mom-ism”s
Being a new mommy does also have its perks: that new baby smell and the friendly, adoring smiles you get from strangers when they see your little squishy baby. Let’s not forget all the amazing milestones like smiling, giggling, clapping, and talking. I’m sure I will look back on this in a few years and laugh at how silly I was to get worked up over the little things. I am truly loving this baby-raising-roller coaster, and I can’t wait to see what’s around the next curve.
Breastfeeding: The Truth and What to Expect
Nursing to me is an amazing experience and creates such a special bond between baby and mom. This bond, however, comes with a price and a lot of sacrifices for the mother. For pregnant moms, here are some things about nursing people may not tell you!
What You Need to Know About Placenta Encapsulation
I’ll be honest, when I first pondered the idea of placenta encapsulation, I was thoroughly grossed out. I mean, eating your own insides… is that really a thing?!
So, where are our New Moms out there?? What's the biggest thing you've learned on this new journey?
