As soon as you find out you’re going to be a new mom, everybody has advice to share. The mail carrier, random strangers at the grocery story, hundreds of moms in your social media feed – everyone has a right way of doing things, and their own list of things you can’t live without. It’s hard to know what advice to keep and what to throw away.
Here’s what we know for sure: A lot of motherhood advice is just opinions, and every family is unique. Your baby will be the first of their kind, and once you give birth you’ll be exactly the new mom your newborn baby will need.
And just so you know you aren’t in it alone, here’s our list of mom tips to remember as you welcome your first baby into the world.
1. You Will Have Good Days and Bad Days
You’ll have good days and not-so-good days, great moments and hard ones with your baby. You’re going to feel like you have no idea what you’re doing one minute with your newborn and like you were born to do only this the next. When it feels impossible, hang in there – a better minute, or day, or week is on the way.
2. Postpartum
Postpartum bodies and postpartum recovery are super weird. If you carried your little one yourself, it will take a while to feel like yourself again. There is a human being where there didn’t used to be one – your body made a human - and that takes a minute to recover from. We know postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety is a real thing, but please try and be gentle with yourself. Even if there was some weight gain, which is completely normal, please try and remember this body just brought you the most incredible new baby. It deserves to be treated with incredible love.
3. Take a Break
You deserve to take a break. You deserve some time totally alone, and not just when you’re using the bathroom. We know you are likely dealing with sleep deprivation. You deserve to ask someone else to hold the baby for a while, or to wake up to soothe them, or to help around the house or bring a meal over or otherwise be useful. You deserve to reach out for care if you’re struggling, or sad, or unsure what to do next. Ask for these things without hesitation. Let your village help.
4. It’s OK to Be Selfish
You also deserve to be completely selfish with your baby. Mom hack: Don’t let anyone, even your new mom friend, shame your parenting style for setting boundaries around who can visit, who can hold them, and how soon. This time is precious, fleeting and magical. Soak up as many minutes as you want.
5. Being a First Time Mom is Not Easy
Some of the things you thought would be easy will wind up being incredibly difficult. That doesn’t mean you’re wrong, or your baby is wrong. Everyone comes into motherhood, post pregnancy as a unique person, raising another unique person. Keep trying new things with your baby care until you find the one that works for you.
6. You Deserve a Fashionable Diaper Bag
Remember how we said some mommy advice is really just opinions? Here’s ours: you deserve a diaper bag that makes you feel like your put-together self and makes things easier with your newborn. Our brand new Million Pockets Backpack is it’s a dream come true! A pocket for everything. You deserve and will need pockets for everything, even for that random ready to use (clean) diaper, as a first time mom.
Read more about our Million Pockets Backpack
This journey you’re about to go on as a new mom is going to be a wild one. It will teach you more about yourself and parenting than you ever asked to learn, push you to the limits, and fill you with more joy than you can possibly imagine. As you continue to collect advice from every meddling human you meet, don’t forget to trust your instincts. Take what feels right for your family, and don’t stress about the rest.
You’ve got this, you are a strong woman! You are going to be an amazing first time mom!
