Post pregnancy: New moms and their survival guide

 
Been dreaming of your baby for months? Welcome to motherhood. Becoming mother calls for a set of duties and responsibility and being a good parent means taking care of every single thing that relates to you and your young one. But if it’s your first child, there are chances that you have less knowledge on taking care of your baby.
 
While the arrival of a young one is truly wonderful, at the same time their demands are intimidating making your first few months exhausting. But all together it’s like a mixture of feelings. Pride, joy and excitement hustle with work pressure, sleep deprivation and new experiences. But not to worry, below are the answers to your queries to all those new parents.

Breast feeding
It is utmost important to ONLY breast feed your child for the first six months. That means even water should not be fed to the baby. It is optimal for both mothers and babies. In babies breast milk protects against infection and health issues in the later period. In mothers, it helps in uterus contraction and to reduce bleeding quickly.
Breast feeding also helps to develop a bond between the mother and their young one. Also a mother’s breast milk is mild and gets digested more easily than a cow’s milk.
 
Baby’s wardrobe
Opting for cotton material clothes are the best for the young ones as the material is soft and breathable. Do not over bundle him as it would lead him to sweating. Make sure he is not always wearing nappies. Packed in nappies throughout the day will lead him to rashes. So it is necessary for the air to pass through baby’s body.
 
Pediatric appointments
Make sure that you visit a pediatrician at regular intervals. It is advisable to visit the pediatrician after every alternate month for routine checkup until your baby is a year old. They know the best when your baby needs to be vaccinated or medicated.
 
Excess body-weight
Take time to start with your workout post-delivery. You might get the urge to start with the exercise because of the excess fat (which will make you feel uncomfortable). You might feel bulky and your old clothes might not fit you. Meditation and small walks can be considered at the early stages post-delivery.
 
Parent-to-Parent interaction
Make sure that you meet new parents to seek advice. This will help the baby get familiar to the outside world making new friends. There might be information about child care that you wouldn’t be aware of and interaction with other parents could help.
 
Sleep deprived
This is a universal truth that the new parents are sleep deprived. It is crucial for the mother to rest post-delivery as the body is drained. At the same time it is difficult to sleep because your young one won’t let you sleep. A better option is to take short naps in-between while your baby is sleeping.  After your baby is a few months old you can fix a routine for him during the day time where he’ll be busy in some activity that would avoid him to sleep during the day. At the night both mother and baby can sleep peacefully.
(P.S.- This should only be done if the baby is willing to engross himself in the activity and not forcibly)