Top Tips For New Mums
So last week I wrote my first ever ‘expert’ piece for another company- OptiBac. And what a great company to do it for! I use their probiotics regularly and have done so for my children too over the years. I was delighted to hear they were launching a new liquid infant probiotic, which will be a huge help to Mothers as the powder form is fiddly (especially if exclusively breastfeeding!).
Below is part of the article that I’d like to share with you all. To see the full Top Tips article jump across to the OptiBac website here .
TOP TIPS FOR NEW MUMS
Prepare for the ‘fourth trimester’
There is such a thing as the fourth trimester of matressence - this is the 12 weeks after your baby is born. This is a time of huge physical and emotional change for you, your baby and your family. The last thing on your mind should be the pressure to ‘snap back to your old self’. Having a new baby changes who you are, both chemically and emotionally - you’ll never be ‘your old self’ again, but why would you want to be. When a baby is born, a woman is also reborn - change is normal and should be celebrated. Your aim should be to be a healthy and emotionally well version of your new self and to focus on building your confidence as a new mum. Any physiotherapist or postnatally qualified fitness instructor would agree that putting your body through any sort of strenuous workout or stress before everything has had a change to heal and strengthen has potentially damaging consequences for the long term. There is plenty of time. The old phrase ‘it takes 9 months to grow a baby, and 9 months to recover’ certainly holds true in this regard. Even though it’s actually more like 10 months!
Get lots of skin-to-skin contact
Spend as much time as you can skin-to-skin with your baby. It is hugely beneficial in helping you to bond, it reduces stress for your baby and it helps to establish breastfeeding1. Moreover, it also helps your baby’s microbiome flourish. Did you know that the microbiome you share through birth and skin-to-skin with your baby is partially the same microbiome passed down to you by your own mother? Our immune system is programmed and strengthened by our gut flora, which is established when a baby licks and swallows good bacteria both during the birth process and subsequent skin-to-skin with close family members (from the same household given the current situation).
Put your baby ‘down’ in stages
Newborns do not like to be put down. Fact. It’s a primitive instinct for babies to relax when being held or carried. So why would they want to be put down? For the best chance of putting the baby ‘down’, aim for 15-20 minutes after they fall asleep in your arms. This is because they will have moved into a deeper part of their sleep cycle by then. Earlier attempts mean you might have to resettle them and start the timer again, which may lead to frustration (especially when you are desperate for the loo or to lay down and sleep yourself).
Don’t be concerned about regression
Babies need to regress to progress. Infant development does not occur in a linear manner – anyone who has been through the four-month sleep regression stage can tell you that. Periods of regression are normal when your little one’s brain is developing. It is because the world that they woke up in today is different to the one they were in yesterday - they grew new neural pathways and so everything now seems strange and frightening again. Try not to get too anxious about what your baby should be doing and see the regression simply as a transition into progression. Regressions usually last about two to three weeks, so there is a light at the end of the tunnel!
Every parent’s journey is different, and what works for someone else might not work for you. You will find the right solutions for you and your family as the days and weeks go by, there is no right way or wrong way - just lots of helpful places to source ideas from to make your own way.
To keep reading more of my top tips for you, your baby and your family in these early days click