Advice and Support From a New Mom

When I was pregnant with Emerie, I felt like every single time someone saw me the conversation went something like, "How are you feeling?", "Are you excited?", "Get your sleep now while you can." (Which when your're 30 something weeks pregnant and so uncomfortable and

you haven't had a good nights sleep in weeks, is a joke). I understand that all these people were just trying to be kind. But when I look back at it all the little pieces of advice were definitely helpful. Now that I have gone through that newborn stage and its so fresh in my mind, I feel like I could give some very useful advice and some emotional support to all the ladies I see that are expecting.

This sounds cliche but childbirth and meeting your child for the first time will be the most powerful moment of your life. You will change in a way you didn't think was possible. It is the most overwhelming feeling of love you will most likely ever experience. I heard that a million times before it actually happened to me, but when it actually happened I had no idea how true that actually was.

When Emerie came home with us, I felt discouraged because I had no idea what I was doing. I would break down in tears when she would cry while I was changing her clothes or diaper. I always felt like I was doing something wrong. Jorge would come over and do everything like a pro. She always wanted Jorge at  first and only wanted me when she was hungry. This upset me even more because I felt like I was her mother, she grew inside of my body, she should want me. Now I know that it was just that we needed a little more alone time to bond.  When Jorge went back to work, that's exactly what we got.

After being alone with her as a newborn, there were a lot of things that I learned and experienced that make me feel like I could give some useful advice to women expecting their first baby.

Advice on how to soothe a crying infant

These might not work for every baby, but they were a life-saver for me!

1. Nursing her
If you're nursing your baby, sometimes they just want to soothe themselves while nursing even if they aren't eating.

2. Show them their reflection in the mirror
Sometimes I would just stand in front of the mirror rocking Emerie, letting her stare at herself in the mirror. This usually would help.

3. Colic Calm

This stuff worked miracles for me. It is a hit or miss for everyone, but in my case it was amazing.

4. Sing softly in their ear
I would literally just be singing random stuff into Emeries ear to soothe her.

5. A swing
This method would only work some of the time, but it definitely bought me some time to sit down and actually eat or watch TV with Jorge.

6. The rattle
Shaking a rattle in front of her face to entertain her helped a lot to take her mind off of crying.

7. A car ride
This is super well know trick but it works! She hates going in the car seat, but loves when we are driving.

Words of support to new moms

1. You're a great mom. If you are doing all you can to soothe your crying baby, and still feel like your not doing enough, that is normal. You will learn your baby's cries. You will soon learn whats them just being fussy and what is them seriously upset. In time, you will also learn how to treat both of those cries. It just takes some time and practice getting to know your baby.

2. This too shall pass. I always kept telling myself this the moments when she would just scream about everything. Your baby will eventually stop and flash you that gummy smile. You will be reminded how awesome it is being a parent.

3. Just because they are crying, doesn't always mean something is wrong. After you have done a list of things to help soothe them, including taking their temperature to make sure that they aren't sick, they don't always stop crying. This is normal! I can't tell you how many times I would call the doctor because I was convinced something is wrong.  They would tell me over and over, if her temperature is normal, and she is not vomiting or having excessive diarrhea, that she is mostly likely fine.

4. There is nothing worse then hearing your baby cry, and just feeling helpless.  It is so hard hearing your baby cry and feeling like you don't know how to help. You just wish they could tell you what is wrong so you can fix it. Unfortunately, that's not the case. As long as you are doing everything you can to soothe them, you're doing your job!

5. Take it all in
Seriously, this is something you have probably already heard a thousand times. But its so true.  It does go by fast. Take every moment in. Take lots of pictures and videos. My daughter is only 5 months old, but I already have realized how fast its going by. It feels like yesterday I could just sit there and rock her. Now she is always on the move, playing with her toys, squealing at me, and constantly wanting to learn.

This is such a beautiful stage in our lives. Enjoy it, even when it gets hard.