The Best Guide to Handling Your Baby’s First Month
In this article, I hope to provide other mothers with encouragement as they transition into motherhood.
Take Time to Heal
The most difficult thing I had to learn after birth was taking time to heal. Prior to giving birth, I had the expectations of bouncing back quickly following birth and spending my maternity hiking and renovating our house. I am grateful to have had a beautiful home birth with no major complications; however, I still needed to give my body time to readjust. Although I was not able to hike right away with the baby as I initially wanted, spending time out in the sun was both beneficial to the baby and for my mental health.
Give Yourself Grace
If you are a perfectionist like myself, I had to reset my thinking of what this time was to look like. I learned to be patient with myself and let go of the “small stuff,” such as household chores. Your main priority is taking care of your baby and you. I thankfully have a husband who was able to take paternity leave and was willing to take care of the house and our dogs. I also learned not to compare our experiences with my family and friends.
Give Your Significant Other Grace
This is also a significant change for your significant other. They are going to try and figure out how to best be there for you and the baby. Be open with communication and clear with your needs. Reassure them they are doing a good job and remember there is a learning curve for both of you.
Nutrition
Just as nutrition is important during pregnancy, it is just as important during the fourth trimester. Proper nutrition will encourage both your body to heal and is important if you decide to breastfeed. I am not a nutritionist and recommend consulting with your doctor; however, I found it beneficial to continue to take my prenatal vitamins following birth. To sustain energy levels, our bodies also need more calories during the fourth trimester than during the pregnancy. To facilitate increased milk production, I added flax seed and nutritional yeast to my diet, as well as drinking herbal teas, such as raspberry leaf tea and nettle tea. My husband also found a great recipe for lactation cookies online.
Sleep
The best advice I received in regard to sleep is sleep when the baby is sleeping. At this stage, skin to skin contact is critical, not just for healthy sleep, but also for organ function, regulating body temperature, bonding and breastfeeding. I also found swaddling encourages longer sleep as this imitates the small space of the womb. For us, my husband would stay up with the baby and provide one bottle of expressed milk while I pumped and went back to sleep. Although this technique may not work for everyone, it worked well for my husband and me. It also gave my husband more time to bond with the baby, as the majority of the time, I would breastfeed the baby.
Accept Assistance from Friends and Family
Between the sleepless nights, sore body, and low energy levels, establishing a strong support system is important especially in the first couple weeks after birth. My husband and I were so grateful anytime anyone offered to bring us food or even help us clean. The biggest help came when our parents came from out of town and would take turns assisting us in caring for the baby. I was surprised how many people would offer their assistance, even if we were not too close before the baby was born.
Make Your Life Easier
Create stations in your house to make day to day tasks more efficient, such as diaper changes, breastfeeding, and pumping. My husband and I created a system to manage my breastmilk (article coming soon). We also relied frequently on food and grocery delivery to save us time and energy. These services are definitely a Godsent!
Navigate Challenges
There, of course, will be unexpected challenges that will come up that you will have to overcome. I will share a little of things we had to face; however, everyone has their own unique journey into motherhood. In our first month, I had mastitis and a yeast infection. Our baby girl developed thrush and needed two procedures to fix her lip and tongue tie which were significantly affecting her ability to breastfeed. I recommend seeking help from professionals right away. Do not wait for the symptoms to become unbearable.
Enjoy Time with Your Newborn!
Your baby is only going to be tiny for so long. It is amazing to see the growth a newborn goes throw just in the first month! Things that will make your heart melt, include watching your baby’s eyes open for the first time, your baby starring up at you in wonder, and learning how to smile. In the first month, I enjoyed snuggling and singing to my baby, taking short walks, bath time, reading stories, talking to my baby, and taking lots and lots of pictures!
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