New Motherhood Myths
Becoming a new mother is a very special time. Your precious little one is finally here after nine long months, you no longer have horrible heartburn that comes with pregnancy, and life is just great, right?? Not really. So many new mothers have such high expectations of themselves and their babies that most often times do not pan out. This often times causes mothers to fall into the dreaded post-partum blues. Knowing what to expect and having realistic expectations can help those feelings of depression and help you as a new mother adjust to your new life. We will discuss two of the most common new-motherhood-myths and hopefully dispel them!
Myth #1: Baby will sleep through the night
Oh how lovely it would be if this were true. You see, your baby has been growing with you for nine long months. During the day, your movements lulled the growing fetus to sleep, so naturally, the baby is used to sleeping during the day while you are awake. Remember at night while you were trying to sleep and your little growing fetus was up all night putting on a dance recital or practicing his soccer kicks? Well, that same little baby is used to being awake at night just like he/she was while growing in your tummy.
Almost all babies sleeping schedules are backwards. But fret not; it usually only takes about three months for the baby to get on a normal sleeping pattern - sometimes even less than that. One mother said that staying up late into the night with her new baby was hard at first, but after discovering a night-time cooking show on TV, she and her baby learned how to cook fabulous meals together. Be prepared with good movies, books, and things to munch on while staying up with baby.
Myth #2: Getting back into those skinny jeans a week after baby is born
This is a myth that many mothers believe that they must achieve. Remember, it took nine months to gain the weight; it will take at least nine months to lose it. One mother laughed as she recalled taking her pre-pregnancy jeans with her to the hospital to wear on the way home with her bundle of joy. She was shocked when she put them on and couldn't even get her legs fully in them.
New mothers - don't be so hard on yourselves when it comes to weight gain during pregnancy! Be patient with yourself. You will eventually lose the weight - especially you mothers who breast feed your little ones (breastfeeding is a healthy, wonderful way to provide baby with nourishment and also shed some of those extra pounds). Remember that weight gain during pregnancy is both healthy and normal.
Motherhood is a wonderful and exciting time. Be patient with yourselves and with your precious new baby...after all, they grow up so very fast!
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