Let me get this straight, beyond trying to keep this newborn baby alive and thriving, I have to do what now!?!
This thought has raced through my head hundreds of times over the last nine months since having my first baby. As a first-time mom, you are overwhelmed, thrilled, gasping for air while trying to stay sane. I slowly realized that in addition to worrying about feeding, bathing, changing diapers, there are actually other expectations. I’m not talking about laundry, cooking dinner and household chores, I’m talking about the pressure of documenting milestones and various tasks that can be stressful to achieve during your baby’s first year.
Achieving baby milestones
Why is it that I always feel I am being interrogated at every doctor’s appointment? The on slot of questions (rightfully so) can be very daunting at times. I remember being asked, “can your child transfer a toy from one hand to the other?” My response “I think so” but honestly, I couldn’t actually remember, can you say sleep deprived? The fear of your child missing a developmental milestone by a certain age is heartbreaking for most mamas. We can all use a reminder that all children grow and learn at their own speed. Rather than worry, we can reduce stress and let children drive their own milestones. If the doctor isn’t concerned, you shouldn’t be either 🙂
Losing the baby weight
The anxious feeling around not losing the baby weight is more than likely something we have all experienced. Try not to focus on the actual act of losing the weight but focus on making time to get back to your own personal normal. For you that may mean getting back to the gym, attending your favorite group workout class or just taking walks around the ‘hood. Even if the weight doesn’t slip off right away, don’t give up, and always remember to thank our bodies for giving us our sweet bundles of joy.
Documentation
Monthly photos and clay hand imprints, and baby books, oh my! The expectations around documenting every first smile, roll, haircut, steps are real! With our extended family in CA, it’s important to still share the many “firsts” of our daughter. Our solution is a Shared Album on our iPhones! This way we can easily upload new photos and our family instantly sees everything. This helps avoid those group family text messages with tons of photos that bog up phone storage! After extensive research to find the “perfect” baby book, I stumbled upon this, Baby’s First Year: a simple book of firsts. It incorporates photos, monthly tidbits and plenty of memories without being a major task of filling out pages of text.
Trusted supervision
For those working mothers, going back to work can be the hardest part of your baby’s first year. Finding the right situation for your child and yourself can be a daunting task. Whether your trusted supervision is daycare, a nanny or a family member, it’s necessary to work on establishing a routine, open communication and trust with that person. Having that person document in a journal the various aspects of the day can help you feel part of your child’s day, even if you weren’t physically there.
These nuances are all part of the balancing act of a mother’s first year. Don’t overlook the important things like having a healthy and happy child! If you miss a monthly photo or your child is late to accomplish a milestone, don’t get down on yourself but rather remind yourself we are all doing the best we can to raise these little ones into amazing people.
Nice job mama! 😘