You might have been thinking about your baby for months – how their soft touch will feel, how their cries and coos will sound, and how they will look. And chances are, you’ll surely welcome tips to prepare for motherhood, specifically if you’re a first-time mom.

Well, in that case, take heart. So many mothers have been in your place – struggling to look after themselves and their newborns in these exciting yet challenging first few weeks. Indeed, the weeks following your baby’s birth can feel surreal and nerve-wracking.

Being a mother transforms you on the inside and out. Once you give birth to a baby, breast shape, clothes, and even shoe sizes change. And as much as you’d like to reckon you’re fully ready for motherhood – the physically exhausting demands, the mind-numbing impacts of less sleep, the mental endurance – all are stressful. Yet, there are times when things spring up as a complete surprise.

However, to help sort out things – here’s a handy guide for first-time mothers to enjoy this beautiful journey of motherhood:

Seek support

There’s no denying the fact that looking after a newborn is a challenging job. So, try to share your responsibilities with your friends or family members. For instance, you can request a trusted friend to babysit the baby while you keep up with your postpartum workout. Likewise, you can enlist your neighbor to rake the driveway or pick up some groceries from the store.

With that said, if your infant has fallen victim to a birth injury such as cerebral palsy due to inadequate care or negligent actions of medical professionals. In that case, know that you can seek legal support.

Working with an experienced and competent cerebral palsy lawyer can help your family secure the rightful financial compensation needed to cover medical expenses. For more information, you can visit childbirthinjuries.com and pursue legal action to receive the justice you and your baby deserve.

Acknowledge the hormones

When it comes to fat reduction, specifically during the postpartum phase, the balance between calories in and calories out isn’t the complete picture. Properly balanced metabolic hormones and caloric deficit (burning calories more than you ingest) are two essential components of long-term fat loss.

The hormonal balance, however, becomes even more crucial for new mothers who breastfeed and cannot maintain a considerable caloric deficit. Although postpartum hormones are complicated, here is a summary of what happens. The primary lactation-inducing hormone, prolactin, has an impact on a variety of bodily systems. High levels of prolactin support the healthy development of a baby’s immune system and help women adjust to motherhood.

Besides, according to research, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which controls the release of stress hormones, is also suppressed after childbirth. Due to this, many women suffer a minor decrease in their basal metabolic rate.

Carve out time to unwind

Once the baby is asleep, catching up on domestic chores and work obligations could be tempting. Nevertheless, try to set aside time for self-care activities to restore your overall well-being.

You don’t have to spend considerable time at spas to achieve holistic wellness. Alternatively, you may take a warm bath every night after the baby falls into a deep slumber or treat yourself to a cup of cappuccino to feel refreshed. Likewise, you can read a book, mow the lawn, play with your pets, or engage in any other activity to break your train of thought. You can even listen to meditation music such as rain audio tracks or ocean waves to soothe your mind. Consider these activities as a reward for surviving the week.

Societal clues may make us believe that doing nothing is wrong, even more so when there is a lot to do. But remember, reflection time is necessary for your mind and body.

Establish sleep routine

Infants don’t come to the world with the same sleeping patterns as adults. Because of their small stomachs, newborns typically need to eat multiple times the whole day, including the nighttime. That’s the reason why infants mix up day and night. And you, more often than not, may find your baby sleeping more during the day and awake at night.

To get rid of this routine, establish a sleep ritual. Try to go to bed as soon as possible. Of course, you’ll get awakened several times throughout the night; if you can extend the amount of time in bed, you might obtain enough rest to get through the day.

Although 7 hours in bed could have been sufficient pre-kid, you should probably increase your time in bed to 10-12 hours.

Final Words

Undeniably, parenting is a difficult job, and it’s completely okay to feel a whirlwind of emotions. So, don’t go hard on yourself. Instead, focus your energy on the things under your control and celebrate small accomplishments. After all, a difficult phase doesn’t equate to a difficult life.

Remember, a large part of happiness lies in establishing realistic goals. Be kind to yourself when shedding baby weight, organizing social events, and working towards your life’s goals. Postpone significant life changes whenever you can until you’ve gotten acclimatized to the new role of being a mother.

It’s easy to compare yourself with the postpartum pictures of social media influencers and feel obligated to look a specific way. Nonetheless, know that, as with pregnancy, every motherhood journey is different. So, as long as you feel happy, fit, and healthy, you’re precisely doing what you should do for the baby and yourself.