4 Things I Wish I Knew When I Was a Parenting Newbie

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I have friends who have newborns and I love going to their houses and holding their babies. This is because I am so glad to be at a stage of life where I have learned a lot from my life experiences as a mom. After having 3 kids, each 2 years apart, I would love to pass on some of the things I wish I had known when I was a brand new mom.

Accept Help
As a new mom, I wanted to do everything myself. Looking back I wish I had asked for help more. I was so hell-bent on doing it all myself, and trying to be perfect that I wore myself out. If someone offers to help you with chores around the house, hold your baby while you sleep, or help out in any other way, say yes. It’s easy to think you can do it all yourself, but it will make your life much easier if you allow yourself to lean on others. I used to think it was an enormous feat if I got one thing accomplished each day.

Enjoy The Time It Flies By
We have all at one time or another said, “Where has the time gone?” Take the time each day to enjoy quality time with your kids and spouse. Make the most of the time that you have. I think it is pretty safe to say that your child will never look back and say how happy they were that their mom always had the dishes done or the house perfectly clean, but will certainly remember how their mom always read them that extra story or was always at their game.

Trust Yourself
Everyone loves to give advice to people with babies, and trust me, they will! The best response is to nod and smile thank you, then to do it your way. Sure, sometimes they might be helpful, but trusting your instinct is important. I used to spend hours (when I should have been sleeping) reading baby books, online blogs, and parenting magazines. While so much of this information is helpful, I found that it was repetitious. Taking others’ advice with a grain of salt and doing things the way you want to is what is important.

Be Prepared
Be prepared for lots of things that you have never heard of. Everything from your little girl having a slight “period” from the mom’s hormones leaving her body, having to take care of the circumcision, umbilical cord issues, exploding poop and spraying pee. This new little human body we are bringing home is sometimes full of surprises (often unsanitary ones). The pediatrician and washing machine will be your best friends- one for advice to these happenings and the other for cleaning them up!
Remember that this difficult stage will pass. Things definitely get easier and life will resume to its (somewhat) normal pace. You are an amazing parent doing what is best for your new baby!

Meet The Bella Behind the Blog: Kristen Farley is a mother of three and a domestic goddess. She is a former teacher who enjoys spending lots of time with her kids, healthy eating, volunteering at school, and mommy blogging for the masses.

Be on the lookout for more of Kristen’s expert advice and brilliant tips!

Author: Kristen Farley

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