The question on many a mom-to-be’s mind: How does one navigate the waters of motherhood with zero experience? Thankfully, we can always turn to other moms and learn from their experiences. We asked 7 moms to share some tips with you, from birth and delivery to caring for a newborn.
1. Do your own research
“With my first, I struggled with how to take a lot of unwanted (and outdated) advice. I dealt with it by just nodding my head in fake agreement at the 'advisers' and just doing my own research. I felt empowered by making that choice.”
so, I brought him to a briefing about breastfeeding when we were still in the hospital. This gave him the understanding of the hardships I needed to go through to nurse our daughter, which later helped him motivate me to continue breastfeeding my child.
few days, I wasn’t sure if my [breast milk] supply had kicked in and my mother-in-law and mum kept comparing me to my cousin who was able to breastfeed her baby. Find a support group. Press on, continue to latch your baby whenever she/he needs it, and the supply should kick in eventually. Just trust in yourself.”
2. Take a break
“After I had my first child, I struggled with the fact that I was confined to my home with my baby literally attached to me for the most part. I felt like I was going to lose my mind. So I went to my closest family and friends and took them up on their offers to babysit. Sometimes us mommies feel like we need to be in control all the time, but it does a world of good to let go and take a break!”
—Minoli Almeida, 36 (Singapore)
3. Don’t expect perfection
“I don’t have a helper or a nanny so balancing housework and raising a kid can be really tough. It’s important to learn how to let go. Your house is never going to be 100% clean with a kid running around. Come to terms with it and just focus on the things you can handle or control.
—Anna Araneta, 30 (Philippines)
4. Stay positive
“I was lucky to have an easy-peasy delivery, but waiting for my stitches to heal was so painful. Delivery was nothing compared to that! I took some anti-inflammation pills, but I don’t think they helped much. I just kept reminding myself that that pain was just temporary—and it was! After two months, all was well.”
5. Make the most of your time together
“Sometimes when I talk to friends who are full-time mums, I feel guilty that I can’t take care of my son as much as they can because I work full-time. But I compensate by giving him as much time as I can.
I try to go home as quickly as I can after work, and put him to sleep every night. We also spend as much time together as possible during the weekends. Spending lots of quality time together keeps my son happy and does away with the guilt.”
—Joy Chuapun, 34 (Thailand)