Comments on: Any tips on parenting a newborn that you wish you had known ahead of time?

By: dogheartflower

dogheartflower — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:30:27 +0000

seriously – sleep when the baby sleeps…and if you cant sleep make sure you eat something. i knew i would be tired, but wasnt prepared for the physical exhaustion that would come from walking the floor and bouncing little girl around, and i was less mental, and better able to do it on a full stomach.

remember that there is no way to be a perfect mom – but a million ways to be a good one. you are the best mom for you baby. instinct and common sense will get you through.

By: Christina H

Christina H — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 03:57:04 +0000

dont be scared just try to be the best you can be and having a new birn baby is a moment you will treasure forever ok thanks thats what i thought

By: billy

billy — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 06:29:37 +0000

Did anyone ever read The Second Nine Months: One Woman Tells the REAL Truth About Becoming a Mom. Finally? It got very good reviews.

By: Lorie B

Lorie B — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 21:09:28 +0000

My biggest thing I wish I did was sleep when baby was sleeping!!!! When my daughter slept I would do the house work etc. It wasn’t until she was 3 months old I FINALLY tried the sleep when she sleeps thing and it was WONDERFUL!!!! Wish I had done it sooner, like the day she was born,lol.
Good luck.

By: Kerry R

Kerry R — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 10:12:03 +0000

For me…everyone painted this perfect, wonderful picture of a newborn. They were full of crap. Yes, a newborn is wonderful, but the toll it takes on the mother is a nightmare. No sleep, crazy hormones, irritibility, no time to brush teeth, take a shower…the list goes on. Babies are little blobs of need until about 2-3 months old. I love my children and I think they have been wonderful since the moment they were born. I just was not prepared for how hard the first 2 months were going to be. I hope this helps.

By: Go Yankees!

Go Yankees! — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 00:29:05 +0000

look online for “THE HAPPIEST BABY ON THE BLOCK”, it’s a DVD by Dr. Harvey Karp on tips to sooth babies under 3 months. I saw it when my son was 5 weeks and SO wish I had seen it sooner!

if you know someone who has it or if they have it at the library then borrow it (better to borrow then you don’t have to buy it). you will be happy you watched it!

edit: geez i get thumbs down for giving helpful advice?? okay then…

oh and one other thing, breastfeeding is HARD, it is NOT as easy as you think it will be but DON’T GIVE IT UP!

By: Mrs. C

Mrs. C — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 20:30:48 +0000

All I can say is SLEEP WHEN THE BABY SLEEPS!!! You will be very tired after just going through 9 months of pregnancy and giving birth. If you are well rested you will be able to keep up with the demands of a newborn much better.

By: Jillian

Jillian — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 12:17:02 +0000

slings are awesome- breastfeeding is hard at first but it gets so easy and trust your body it will do the worl IF YOU LET IT- some babies nurse every 45 minutes
dont take any advise from jsut anyone or jsut because it worked for them or because “they survived”

you might regret not cuddling them enough but you will never regret cuddling them too much

oh yeah, if you choose to nurse- it takea while for babies to learn how to latch on- but if you offer a bottle, that can make it worse. it tooks me dadys and days of sitting in my room jsut waiting fo rmy son to open his mouth, especially since i had a tired jaundice baby

By: elainevdb

elainevdb — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 08:48:38 +0000

I was scared out of my mind too. Towards the end I changed my mind about being a mother – I had this “who am I kidding,” thoughts, “I can’t do this!”

But I must say, the basics came pretty easily. I have difficult days (A LOT of them), when I just don’t know what’s right or wrong, what’s up or down, I get through them all and next time the same thing happens I know what to expect and can handle it better. It’s a learning curve.

If I can give you one piece of advice, it’s always, always follow your instincts, no matter what anyone else tries to tell you – you are the mother and you know best. That nagging little voice telling you what to do, is your instincts, listen to that voice.

Remember, no one’s perfect you WILL make mistakes, when this happens relax, it’s going to be okay, don’t beat yourself up, but learn from them and next time you won’t make the same mistake again.

It’s okay to ask for help, don’t try to do it all by yourself.

And the age-old trusted advice… sleep when the baby sleeps. Don’t worry about the dirty dishes, they’re not going anywhere.

And another thing… babies only look that fragile. It’s VERY hard to break a baby.

ETA: There will be a day, four weeks from now, perhaps four months from now, when you’ll look at your baby, and you won’t be able to imagine your life without them, or even remember a day that you weren’t a mother.

By: MorgansMom

MorgansMom — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 04:20:19 +0000

everybody is nervous by something so know you’re not alone. Re-evaluate yourself as a mom once the hormones have passed post-pregnancy. You WILL bump their head.. drop something on them.. have them roll off the couch.. you WILL feel bad but they will be fine. You’ll be a great mom.. there’s nothing like it. I have a 3 1/2 month old and can barely remember where you are now.. it’s like she’s always been here.