Three Key Areas to Get Help in as a New mom

Being There is Very Important

First of all, no mom is perfect, and no mom always makes mistakes. Every mom has good and bad days. Parenthood is tough, and represents a sort of “upgrade” in your life. You’re, very realistically entering a higher phase of consciousness. This is compounded by two things: the deep love you feel for your child, and the added responsibility you now have.

Between these things, you’ll think more critically, push yourself harder, learn more, earn more, and become more capable as a human being. When you look at who you become at the end of raising a child, you’ll realize the changes you’ve gone through have made you stronger, wiser, hopefully happier, and certainly better; even if things didn’t always go as you planned.

That said, just because the process of parenthood develops you as a person doesn’t mean you should go into it blind. It doesn’t matter how much you study the topic, you’re going to encounter things nobody ever has before, and you’ll have to figure them out. So arm yourself with information beforehand to give yourself the best start. Here are tips to think about.

1. You Should Not Go It Alone: Parental Support Networks

The importance of a parental support network is hard to over-sell. Friends and family are certainly part of this network, but there are formalized options out there you can lean into as well, and you should. You’re going to have to lean into your friends and family, and they’re not always going to be there. Who do you go then? The parental support network.

Such networks help you find programs that might help provide you with food or resources like daycare when you need them. Unless you want to reinvent the wheel of parenthood, find a few parental support networks that are trustworthy.

2. Breastfeeding Has a Learning Curve

Sometimes your breasts are engorged but won’t express. Breastfeeding can be painful, leaving nipples raw. You can experience clogged milk ducts, mastitis, and the baby might not even latch properly. In fact, the latch can lead to some of these problems if you’re not doing it properly.

For the baby to get a good latch, breastfeeding professionals offering lactation services might be the resource to tap into. Sometimes there’s a hold or technique that you would have trouble finding otherwise.

3. Find Healthcare Professionals You Trust in Advance

Healthcare options in pediatric care, women’s health, lactation, optometry, audiology, and otolaryngology will all likely be necessary to you or your child at some point in the coming years. Find practitioners you trust in advance.

Being the Best Mom You Can Be

Get parental and healthcare support prior the child’s birth if you can, and look into a lactation specialist to assist in breastfeeding. Generally, inform yourself as you transition into motherhood. There’s much to learn, and you’ll be more prepared for the ups and downs of parenthood if you do.