Advice for the First Time Mom

Being a new mom can bring on a whole host of new ideas and experiences. You may feel overwhelmed or have questions. Or, you may feel like an old pro. Either way, hearing from other moms can sometimes be just the thing you need. So, a few weeks ago, we asked our Instagram followers, along with our Ayla team, to share their best advice for new moms. We hope you’ll find something in here that is beneficial for you and your little one!  

• Give yourself some grace. 

• Don’t let your pride hinder your children from the benefits of early intervention. 

• Prep for postpartum! We spend so much time thinking of labor - postpartum is much longer!

• Add a meal plan to your registry. Having meals at the ready when your body is recovering helps!

• Enjoy and live the moment because time flies!

• Don’t buy pajamas with snaps! Zippers - only zippers!

• Don’t overthink your mind with intrusive thoughts. Check in on yourself, speak to a loved one. 

• Don’t compare your baby's milestones to other kids. Each kid has their own timing. 

• Don't beat yourself up if breastfeeding doesn't work! Formula babies are happy and healthy babies too.

• Always follow your motherly instinct!

• Don’t buy any shoes until baby can walk. 

• Don’t worry about a dirty sink!

• Don’t buy clothes far ahead of time. You never know how fast or slow baby will grow! 

• Casserole party. Everyone brings a meal for your freezer! Lots of easy meals for after baby arrives!

• Stop all comparison - between you and other moms and your kids to other kids.

• Mothering is HARD. It sucks the life out of you and brings in more life, love, and joy than you ever thought possible. 

• It’s all a season. Newborn season is the shortest, toddler season feels the longest but isn’t. School-age is the longest but feels the shortest. Enjoy every season as best and as much as you can and then let go as you move into the next. 

• At times, let your kids know your inner child. Play, adventure, pretend, eat ice cream, run through the sprinkler. You’ll find yourself healing parts of you that you didn’t know needed healing. 

• Don’t compare yourself with other moms and other people's situations. 

• You are the best advocate for your child. You know what is best for your baby and your situation won’t ever be exactly like anyone else’s. So, listen to your instincts. 

• Be patient with yourself. It’s okay to not know what you’re doing. 

• Make sure to find time for yourself. Even if it’s doing something small. It’s really easy to get lost in motherhood. 

• People will give you advice no matter what. So you can take what you want to use and make it your own. Don’t stress so much about doing it the way they said. Use your intuition! You’re their mom for a reason.  

• Sleep and allow people to help you!

• Little people little problems, big people big problems! Enjoy the little stuff!

• Take a shower everyday! You will enjoy your baby so much more if you at least take the 5 minutes to yourself and shower and brush your teeth. Then, sit down and snuggle that baby. Your house can wait! Take in their smell, their rolls, their tiny hands and feet. They grow WAY too fast.

• Reach out for help. It’s overwhelming to be given the reins of this new life; its easy to feel like you have no idea what you are doing! I promise you do. But, look at the women in your life, look at the ones that you think are good moms and ask them questions. They are more than willing to give you advice. Take in their advice and tweak it for what you feel works for you, your life, and your child. Every mom feels like they don’t know what they are doing. You’ll look back after you have that third, fourth, fifth kid, and you’ll be amazed at what you’ve learned! You are their mom for a reason and you and only you know what’s best for them.

• Spend more time making memories than looking forward to your child getting out of a hard stage. Those hard stages feel so long, and they are tough, but don’t miss out on making the best out of those hard moments. 

• It’s okay to say motherhood is hard, draining, or that you need help. It’s hard to ask for help, but do it, rely on your support system. Then, be a support and help when your mom's friends need help. They weren’t kidding when they said “it takes a village.”

• Make sure to take care of yourself, or you can find yourself unable to take care of your baby.

There's no "one size fits all" for motherhood. Listen to the advice, read the books, and take what works for you and implement it in your own way. The newborn phase is hard, but extremely short. Soak it up! Take all the pictures, and don't forget to write it down. On the hard days go back and look at those cute pictures, read about their firsts, and it will make it all feel worth it. These babies are sent to you for a reason, you are their safety, their protection, their everything, you are their mom!