The Good, Bad, And The Baby: Parenthood In Those First Few Months
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Parenthood is a wonderful experience. Those that are about to have a baby or have just given birth won’t need me to tell you that! But there are so many things that they don’t tell you unless you delve into someone’s personal blog for the real issues. So I thought that I would lay out the fundamental points, good and bad, to prepare those that want to embark on parenthood.
Do Your Pelvic Floor Exercises!
Nurses will keep asking, long after your baby was born if you have been doing your pelvic floor exercises. You could lie and say yes, but this isn’t going to benefit you at all! The reason why you need to do your pelvic floor after giving birth is that it will reduce urinary incontinence! During pregnancy, increasing pressure is placed on your pelvic floor muscles. This is because of pregnancy hormones, and weight of your baby was increasing. A lot of research shows that pelvic floor exercises during pregnancy and after birth (especially if you have a C-Section) makes it less likely that you will leak urine after birth. You need to exercise your pelvic floor muscles regularly! If you don’t know how to do them, here’s a quick crash course. You contract the same muscles like the ones that you use when you hold in your pee! You can squeeze the muscles for a short period and gradually build up to longer squeezes.
Don’t Be Afraid To Turn Away Visitors
When a baby is born, you will have an absolute influx of visitors. And it can be a little overwhelming to say the least, especially when you are trying to catch up on sleep or you have had a particularly difficult night with your child. You don’t want to be thinking about entertaining guests as well! The best method is to plan a few weeks in advance when friends are coming by. And when they do come by, and they ask for a drink or refreshment, just point them in the direction of the kitchen! A lot of people will have been in your position and will understand completely how tired you are. On this note, if you have a load of guests, kindly ask one of them to do the washing up. It will be a lifesaver for you!
Sleep When You Can
Probably the biggest question expectant mothers and fathers ask is “when can I sleep?” People usually joke that you won’t sleep ever again in your life! And it is half true, but not to worry. The best way to get around this is to get your head down whenever it is possible. A lot of mothers say to “sleep when the baby sleeps”. Listen to this advice! While the first few months will be difficult regarding sleep patterns, this is doubly so if you choose to breastfeed, after a while the baby will settle into a pattern. Operating on very little sleep is very difficult, but amazingly your body gets used to waking up at certain times. A good sleep hack is to figure out your sleep cycle pattern. There are apps that can help you with this, and if you can do it before the baby is born then it will serve you well!
