Things Every Mama Should Know...

Advice from those who know!

Camille Carlisle:

Speaking as one who has *absolutely no experience* being a mother, I've been told the following advice:

• When the baby sleeps, you sleep. Don't try to use baby's nap time to catch up on stuff (e.g. cleaning)—at least not during the first few weeks. Nap simultaneously. You will be better for it.
• Spend a little time prettifying yourself, even if you're exhausted. Avoiding feeling frumpy is a good way to keep your spirits up.
• Work out a good tag-team method with your hubby for baby care.
• Don't try to keep the house uber-quiet after the baby is born. The baby heard all sorts of noise in the womb, and an unnaturally quiet environment will feel alien. So do the same old stuff—music, TV, vacuuming, et cetera. (My mom was actually able to vacuum in my room when I was a baby without waking me up.

Kate Gardner:

• I second all of Camille's comments! She is right!
• Have lots of snacks on hand for the first month or so of nursing. Make sure you are eating lots of little snacks to keep up your energy and give baby what she needs. Also, never sit down to nurse without a glass of water in the beginning because you will get dehydrated.
• Don't read too many baby books. It just makes you hyper-focused on whether baby is hitting "important developmental milestones." She will have her own time frame. I have felt more calm with each baby and wish I had been so with James right from the beginning because I enjoy the little ones more! For a reference book, Patrick and I use and have liked Dr. Sears' Baby Book.
• Have a good book on hand while nursing in the first few months. I read almost all of Jane Austen's novels in the first 6 months, I think.
• Go out when baby is little because she will sleep through anything! At some point (around 4-5 months with my babies), she will get distracted by noise. Go on "dates" right away!

Beth Crye:

• Freeze meals before the baby comes!
• A fan and some chap stick is nice to have during labor!
• Stock your fridge with tons of drinks - I always am so thirsty after delivery!
• Don't commit to any major events/hosting for one month before the baby is born and 3 months after.

Thérèse Obagi:

Here are my bits of advice. In no particular order.

• From Maria Montessori: make a safe environment for kids, then observe more/intervene less. She suggests waiting a decade's length!! Think about how God prepared for his children.
• Nurse lots. (Book recommendations: The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding from the La Leche League; also, Breastfeeding and Natural Child Spacing by Sheila Kippley)
• The Baby Book by Dr Sears. Keep it by your rocking chair and bed. Helpful advice, relaxed and practical.
• Finally, the outdoors is Our Lord's gift to mothers. I find it calms my children, instantly at times, helps them rest better. It is also a great antidote to the temptation to depression that can strike when you are doing a monumental and painstaking project in which you are bound to make mistakes.

Aunt Ann:

Most useful to me was this sentence, to be repeated in response to all manner of advice showered upon you: "What an interesting idea; I'll discuss it with my pediatrician."

Mom:

Don't be afraid to take your newborn into bed with you at night to nurse, despite what the "experts" are now saying! It's OK if you fall asleep, YOU will feel better and neither you or Jan is going to roll over on her!!

Aunt Kitty:

DON'T PANIC in large friendly letters, from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy—sage advice in almost any situation.

Katherine Gardner:

You’re going to be SUCH a good Mama! (I know that’s not advice, but it’s what I am qualified to say on this subject. ;))