Parenting is not an easy job with 24 hours service of soothing, feeding and diapering. Newborn babies can sure give you a tough time.
Here are 8 handy tips for the first month of your baby stepping into the world:
- The sleep trick
You can either follow your mother or grandmother’s excellent advice of sleeping when the baby sleeps or simply take turns with your partner. Sleeping when the baby sleeps is the most workable way to pump yourself up with some sleep. On weekends, you can ask your partner to take care of the baby in the day while you sleep and take turns likewise.
- Don’t do everything yourself
Common! When your partner could help you out and offer support in your pregnancy, he can help you with baby too. You don’t have to do each and everything yourself. Give the little angel to his father and let his instincts figure out what to do with the baby just like you. He might also make mistakes just like you. Don’t get all fussy about it. Let it be.
- Take help for breastfeeding
It always is harder than you expect it to be. Feeding can be tough with difficult latch-ons and sore nipples. You can always contact a lactation consultant or just talk about it with friends with great nursing experiences. Keep collecting information even before you give birth. It sure comes in handy. Before you leave the hospital after giving birth, you can always call your nurse for help and advice whenever it is time for feeding.
- Let the daddy take over
When you are all too hooked up with the baby, ask your partner to do some cleaning and take the baby out whenever he goes out so that you get to have some time for yourself too. He can take your bundle of joy out when he goes out for grocery or goes out for a walk. Let’s face it. Dads can do the most fun dad things with kids like making the baby sleep over their chest simply for the love of it.
- For the love of sanity
If you have piles of clothes waiting for laundry, let it be. If you have stacked up dishes to wash, let it be. Let go of house work head ache at least for the first few months and focus on the baby. Secondly, you are bound to be bombarded by unwanted advice regarding newborn baby. Don’t take the pressure because after all you are the parent and it is in your hand to decide what to do with your baby. Don’t panic.
- Warm compress for blocked ducts
Does your breast happen to have blocked ducts and the milk isn’t flowing right? Warm compress can do the trick. You can apply it in the form of warm wet wash cloth, heating pad or flax pillow. Heat facilitates flow of milk. In case you happen to have sore breasts, cold pack is the answer. You can either use an ice pack or a bag of frozen peas.
- Accept sleepless nights as your routine
So you are probably all cranky, angry and tired because your little one keeps you on alert all the time not letting you get your sleep while he takes his. Newborn babies sleep for about 15 hours a day but they do so for short intervals keeping you up. First off, let’s just accept the fact that you are not going to get the all-night continuous sleep you desperately wish for.
- Don’t feel shy to accept help
If your friend or loved ones offer you help by doing the dishes, giving your baby a shower or merely holding the baby for some time, simply accept the offer. You can demand for help too without feeling guilty. It sure is a good idea to ask others to do more time consuming tasks like cooking rather than 2 minute tasks so you get to have some time out for yourself.
