Thoughts from a Labour and Delivery Nurse
Liesel Teen is a labour and delivery nurse, mama, the face behind the popular pregnancy Instagram page @mommy.labornurse and creator of the online childbirth class, Birth It Up. She has been passionate about birth for as long as she can remember, and she loves sharing her nursing knowledge to help mums-to-be. She is expecting her second baby in August.
Most pregnant mums do a great job of preparing for their baby and birth. We take the birth classes, execute the perfect registry, arrange a Pinterest-worthy nursery, and follow all of our provider’s guidelines for a safe and healthy pregnancy.
And that’s awesome! In fact, as a Labour & Delivery nurse, I LOVE seeing mums get prepared and educated about birth. It’s totally my thing and why I started my site.
But today I’m here to talk a little bit about what lies beyond birth. Because after all, birth is but a day. Caring for your newborn will be your new, round the clock responsibility, no matter what. And we could all benefit from getting a little more prepared for that ahead of time, too!
Here I’m going to share the five things I wish I’d known before I brought my first baby home—the things that would have given me more confidence in the early days, weeks, and months as a mum. The things I want you to learn from!
Baby sleep is a topic that you will likely read and obsess about endlessly once your baby arrives. I could go on and on about my best newborn sleep tips and what to do and not to do. But if I could choose one piece of advice I’d wish I’d known regarding baby sleep? Sleep begets sleep.
The more often Baby sleeps, the better they will sleep. Keeping babies up longer actually makes them sleep for shorter lengths of time or have more disrupted sleep. For this reason, it’s important to learn Baby’s wake times. You want to become a master of reading your baby’s sleep cues to follow the “more is better” philosophy.
Developmentally, most babies from 0-3 months old can only stay awake for 1-2 hours at a time during the day. For some, they may only stay awake for as long as they slept during their last nap—if Baby took a 30-minute nap, they may be ready to sleep again after only 30 minutes of awake time.
With newborn naps often only lasting 30-60 minutes, and you may feel like all you’re doing is feeding your little one and getting them to sleep. But trust me, this is completely normal and will actually set you up for longer chunks of sleep at night sooner.
BREASTFEEDING MIGHT BE HARD
I was under the mistaken impression that breastfeeding was an innate thing that we could all just do. I thought babies and mums could just nurse, no questions asked. Well, mums, I was wrong!
Breastfeeding comes with a steep learning curve for many. It often takes a lot of determination, troubleshooting, and perseverance, but it is well worth it in the end if you can make it work.
My own breastfeeding journey wasn’t without hiccups, and I struggled with a low milk supply that stole the joy from my newborn experience and I decided to start supplementing. It was the best decision ever, and I still nursed my son well past one year.
So what can you do before your baby arrives? Learn as much as you can about breastfeeding now. Getting a leg up on breastfeeding basics will set you up for success. If breastfeeding is important to you, preparation is key. Just like we approach any other goal in life with practice and education, breastfeeding should be the same.
Whether you have a natural birth, epidural, induction, C-section, or something in between, every birth will have some aspect of recovery. Yes, recovering from a C-section is usually a little more intense, but every mum should prepare for postpartum discomfort and exhaustion.
Giving yourself grace and time to rest after birth is so important. And I don’t just mean during your hospital stay! Postpartum healing and adjustment to life as a mum takes time. Don’t dive right into social visits, housework, and cooking. Your body needs to recover because birth takes a toll and rest is important. Use the Owlet Monitor Duo to ease your worries and get the rest you need. The Cam streams audio and HD video to your phone while the Smart Sock tracks Baby’s heart rate and oxygen level. This way, you can relax and recover while Baby sleeps in their room!
There’s actually a lot you can do to prepare for postpartum before your baby arrives. Doing things like stocking your freezer with cooked meals, buying household essentials, and having postpartum care supplies on hand will all aid in your ability to rest and heal.
Mental health challenges are more prevalent after having your baby than many mums realise. In fact, it’s estimated that up to 80% of all new mums experience the baby blues.
We’ve all heard about postpartum depression, but until you’re facing it, it can seem abstract and hard to believe. Many mums have shared their stories with postpartum depression and other postpartum mood disorders and my heart goes out to all of them.
I think it’s so important for new mums to learn about emotional health challenges before they bring their babies home so that they know the red flags and warning signs. Here’s a brief rundown to help you understand the hallmarks and differences between the baby blues, postpartum depression, and postpartum anxiety:
In spite of the sleepless nights, breastfeeding challenges, and postpartum discomforts, you’ll fall in love with a tiny human. You’ll relish in snuggles and naps on your chest. You’ll be in awe of their tiny features, perfect profile, and adorable feet. You’ll feel like your days are never-ending, but you’ll be blindsided at how quickly everything is passing at the same time. Most of all, you’ll rock motherhood in your own way as the perfect mum for your baby.
