Life With A Newborn, Surviving and Thriving

Life With A Newborn, Surviving and Thriving

Everyone knows life with a newborn will be difficult, duh! However, most parents have no idea the impact a newborn has on their life. As someone who works one-on-one with families as they bring their babies home you “need” all the love and support you can get! Here are a few tips to help make life with a newborn just a wee bit easier on you!

Survival is the name of the game when you’re living life with a newborn!

For at least the first few weeks anyway. You will need to come to terms with the fact that life will be different! Gone are the days (at least temporarily) of a well-kept personal appearance and home, your priorities are shifting and it’s normal to need time to ease back into those things. Right now as your baby associates mom as “home” you are surviving and that is enough! You are enough just as you are.

Essential for life with a newborn, white noise is a game changer!

You don’t need to silence your home for your baby to adjust. The shushing sound of white noise actually lulls newborns and reminds them of the only home they’ve known for the last 40 weeks. They miss the noise of the womb, white noise fills the space between being one with mom and finding ones way in the world around them.

Get a good newborn carrier or wrap!

Again it’s all about being one with mom, the only home they’ve known in their lives thus far. The movement, the warmth, your heartbeat and voice are all comforting to your little one. Free up your arms to do other things, keep baby close, and dance harmoniously with your babe! I don’t know how anyone can survive life with a newborn without a good babywearing device!

Learn to make a (non-edible, but totally scrumptious) baby burrito!

Tight quarters doesn’t sound lovely at all… unless you’re a newborn that is! Occasionally I meet parents who say their babies don’t like being swaddled. I rarely disagree with parents, BUT in the case of swaddling, I’ve found it’s more often a matter of proper technique and a great blanket! One of my personal favs is the Ollie swaddle or wearable wrap/swaddles. In my opinion, good swaddling techniques are a necessary skill all parents should learn. Swaddling cues sleep, unswaddling the opposite. Your baby will likely be out of the newborn stage by the time they begin trying to roll over, but for safety you should transition them away from the swaddle as soon as they begin trying to roll or flip over, most definitely by 4 months of age.

Don’t compare your baby or yourself to anyone else!

If you’re doing this you are sure to feel like a failure sooner or later. Why do that to yourself?  Comparison will rob you of joy! Everyone is unique, every baby, every birth recovery, and every single parenting journey. Google, Facebook groups, and mommy blogs can be great, but they can also be competitive and may lead to unrealistic expectations. When your baby isn’t sleeping through the night and moms in your due dates groups are claiming their babies were sleeping through the night at 3 weeks old it’s easy to feel like you aren’t doing something right. That’s just one example. Tread lightly and don’t compare your own situation to anyone else’s!

Create a postpartum plan when preparing for life with a newborn!

Be sure to outline what you would like help with and who you would like to take care of those things. Make sure everyone is aware of what you need, especially your significant other. It may be difficult to ask, or even identify what your needs are after you’ve given birth. Arranging to lighten your load beforehand will be helpful. Most partners are willing to do anything asked of them, but you must communicate what you need in a clear and concise wa, they can’t be expected to read your mind.

Create portable changing caddies! 

Newborns, first you’re counting wet and soiled diapers to make sure they are going enough, then they won’t stop going! Holy shit they go A-LOT! Set up a few portable caddies complete with diapers, wipes, cream, changing pad, and a clean outfit. Keep one near your nest, and one in the other rooms that you’re frequenting during those early weeks! Your body will thank you later!

Life with a newborn is H-A-R-D, this parenting gig is no joke!

Life with a newborn may not be as amazing as you thought it would. That’s normal! Not everyone will admit this, but most parents have a hard time in the early weeks of parenting. It DOES get better and it’s okay to admit that it’s hard and maybe not as glamorous as you had envisioned. That doesn’t make you a bad parent at all!

Don’t buy into all the products!

It can be easy to get sucked into all the things! Truth is, they grow so fast and really don’t need a whole lot in the beginning! Everyone loves to buy cute newborn clothes, so you can almost skip buying those entirely if you’re having a shower or sprinkle! If you can afford to put aside some money each week and invest in a postpartum and infant care specialist you will be investing in rest, bonding, and expert care so you can adjust to life with a newborn and thrive instead of just survive.

Try to think big picture!

Everything is going to work out! Life with a newborn won’t last forever, in fact in the big scheme of things it flies by! You won’t screw your kid up for using formula instead of breastmilk, organic or conventional is mostly just a matter of preference, cloth or disposables either are just fine! If they’re happy you’re a great parent, if they’re crying they’re breathing and you are STILL a great parent!

Happy Birth & Parenting!

~Elizabeth