If you have just had a baby, you are likely very excited indeed, and very scared all at the same time. This is a very common experience to have, and it is a sign that you are probably thinking about things in the right way. After all, it should be a little frightening and also very exciting! One of the things that you will likely want to know about and have help with is the major early parenting difficulties that can crop up with having any baby. In this post, we are going to take a look at some of these in particular and offer some advice on how to deal with them. You should find that you are going to feel a lot more ready to face these issues after reading this article.
Breastfeeding
One of the main difficulties that a lot of mothers have early on is breastfeeding. It can often seem as though everyone else is having no trouble at all, and yet you and your baby are struggling with it a lot. This isn’t a true reflection, and that is the first thing to be aware of: all mothers struggle with this, and there are many babies who just don’t want to latch on at all. But there are some things you can do if you want to make breastfeeding easier and start doing it a lot more easily and quickly.
First of all, you should find out as much as you can about breastfeeding before giving birth, as that is going to put you in a much better position when you do then need to do so. Antenatal classes usually cover this quite well, so it is definitely worth going to those. You will learn about positioning and attachment, expressing and how to increase it where necessary, and how to tackle other common problems that people have with breastfeeding early on. If you are struggling to express, you might want to look at what you are eating. There are even some foods that make lactation more likely, such as the best lactation cookies, so it’s worth thinking about those too. You’ll find that really helps.
The main thing here, however, is to take it slow and try not to stress too much, as that won’t help at all. And remember that it can often take a long time, which is perfectly normal and natural to happen.
Sleep
Sleep can suddenly become a big problem for you when you have a baby – and for the baby too, of course. As a new parent, you might be constantly worried about whether or not your baby is getting enough sleep, or whether they are getting too much. The truth is that babies do need to sleep a lot, but they also have short cycles, so they are going to be up and down many times throughout the day. This of course means that you are going to struggle to get much sleep, and that in itself can be very difficult to deal with for many new parents.
To make it a little easier on yourself, try to limit your activities throughout the day and don’t over-exert, so that you can regain your energy at least. You should also try not to stress about how much sleep you are getting or not getting, as it won’t last for long anyway and your child will soon be older and sleeping more themselves. All in all, sleep is not a huge problem, but it is easier to deal with it if you manage to prepare yourself for not having much of it early on.
Skin-On-Skin Contact
Babies should have plenty of skin-on-skin contact with their mother, as this is a vital part of their ability to develop healthily in the best possible way. But you should try not to worry about it too much if you are not able to do this as much as you would like, or if your baby happens to cry and move around so much that it makes it difficult. All in all, what matters most of all is that you are there for your baby when they need you, and that you are trying to get this contact wherever possible. That is what you really need to think about.
In all of this, remember that your baby is unique, and you can never predict what they will be like before they come out. It’s okay if your baby is different from other ones – it’s just who they are!