Top Ten Hacks for First Time Mothers

Becca Maberly - 11 Apr 17

1.Don’t Wash New Baby Clothes

New clothes are already clean! Don’t spend your last few, precious baby-free days washing and ironing tiny clothes. You are going to have laundry coming out of your ears soon so don’t peak now!

2.Don’t Spend £££ on Baby Stuff

Join your local Facebook “Mum” Group- just type in your postcode into the search bar on Facebook.

3.You Can’t Make Your Baby Come Quicker

Don’t get yourself into a tizz trying to induce your labour. Many people now believe that it is infact the BABY who brings on labour! When they are ready to be born they send a signal that brings about a hormonal change in the mother’s body which sends the body into labour.

Pineapple, Curry, Raspberry Leaf Tea, Castor Oil and Sex do not work.

4.Get a Maternity Exemption Certificate

If you are suffering from piles or indigestion then you may be racking up a big bill in your local Chemist! A Maternity Exemption Certificate can be a real help if the cost of Gaviscon and Anusol are breaking the bank – you are entitled to free prescriptions for your pregnancy and a year after giving birth.

5.Do Your Pelvic Floor Exercises NOW!

If you don’t want to wet yourself every time you sneeze or laugh – or have your bowel pop out through your vagina one day (prolapse) then start doing your pelvic floor exercises now and stop only to give birth! Start again as soon as you have given birth and do them religiously for ever and ever amen.

You need your pelvic floor muscles to keep your bladder, uterus and bowel in place and pregnancy/childbirth can damage these muscles. Having a C Section does not make you exempt as pregnancy alone can weaken these muscles.

6.Having an Epidural or a C Section does not mean you have Failed at Giving Birth

You should not beat yourself up if you don’t get the birth that you wanted. Using pain relief or having a C Section are most definitely not things to be ashamed of or disappointed by. Labour is a complicated business and many things about it are unpredictable. It is possible to have a brilliant birth by C Section or with an Epidural. An epidural can be a lifesaver if you are in terrible pain. It can help you to relax and regain control of the situation and if managed well, an epidural can be part of a very special birth. Likewise, a sympathetic Obstetrician and an understanding of the process can really help a C Section to be every bit as special as a natural birth.

7.A Contraction Will Not Last Longer than approx 60 Seconds

This is such a good thing for you and your partner to understand when you are in labour. The pain may be hideous beyond belief, but as long as you know that it WILL end and you WILL get a break before the next one- that can really help. Having someone count you down and letting you know that the contraction is about to finish can do wonders for your pain management.

8.Go out for a Meal With Your Partner ASAP!

Well not the same day you give birth – the woman next to me in the post natal ward went off to Carluccios for Lunch and left her baby behind without telling the Midwives! We suggest you try and go out with your partner in the first few weeks. If you have a willing babysitter who can watch a just-fed baby for an hour whilst you pop down the road for a pizza – that can be amazing! It is really good for your relationship– and a simple outing can feel really good.

9.My Baby Doesn’t Like His Moses Basket!!

When you hear “he doesn’t like his moses basket”…”he hates his car seat”…this is normally followed by a 2am shopping session on Amazon to buy something to try and rectify the situation! The reality is, your baby is too little to have an opinion about the vessel in which he is carried or the kind of mattress he is put to sleep on! The chances are there is something else that is upsetting him, so run through a check list;

Is he hungry? Tired? Restless? Overwhelmed? Hot? Cold? Is there a label from his vest poking in his neck? Or does he just want to be held? The chances are it is one of those things making him yell- and not his dislike of your choice of wallpaper in his nursery.

10.You Don’t Always Fall in Love with Your Baby Immediately

If you are holding your baby and sitting there looking into his eyes or his scrunched up screaming face and you feel….errr…not much! It is completely NORMAL! Some mothers fall deeply and madly in love with their baby as soon as they are born- but for others it can take days, weeks or even months. A difficult birth, a hard time feeding, post natal issues, lack of sleep and hormones can all be to blame, so do not panic, that feeling will come soon.

Becca Maberly is a co-founder of A Mother Place who offer FREE Online Antenatal Classes to everyone!  http://amotherplace.com/

Becca Maberly

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