Embracing your new role

Whether you’re currently pregnant or freshly home from the hospital, you’re probably noticing some physical and emotional changes. The journey of motherhood is full of transformations and adventures. Many new mothers notice they start to question themselves more often, sometimes even beginning to feel guilty when things don’t go as expected.

From the moment you have your child, you may note changes like:

• New priorities – Suddenly, someone who didn’t even exist a year ago is the center of your universe.
• Shifting perspectives – When your priorities change, so do your goals and lifestyle. Things that seemed urgent or important before childbirth may now feel insignificant. On the other hand, things like finances, safety nets, and predictability might mean more to you.
• Intense emotions – New mothers often feel everything more strongly. Joy, stress, and all the emotions in between can be magnified by motherhood. You may find yourself feeling emotional more frequently, especially during early bonding moments or sleepless nights.
• Physical changes – After you give birth, you enter the postpartum stage, and that comes with physical changes. Some changes are temporary, like swollen, tender breasts (which are now filling with milk) or hair loss. Other shifts can be more permanent, such as widened hips or stretch marks.

Perhaps the biggest change of all is your new identity. When you have a child, you gain another role in this world: Mom. Your old life doesn’t disappear—you’re still a friend, a daughter, a person with passions—but it takes on a different shape.

Our advice? Embrace the changes. You can’t avoid them, so why not treat them as the learning opportunities they are?

Preparing for baby’s arrival

If you’re still pregnant while reading this, you have some extra time to prepare for your transition into motherhood.

While every mother’s journey is different, most healthcare providers will make some basic recommendations when it comes to preparing for a baby’s arrival:

• Prioritize prenatal care and nutrition – Before you give birth, your body is home to your baby. With that in mind, it’s important to take excellent care of yourself. That means going for regular checkups, making time for gentle exercise, and getting nutrients like folic acid, iron, calcium, and vitamin D. (Your doctor may also have more specific, personal recommendations for you based on your health and history.)
• Create a birth plan – A birth plan is a set of instructions that spells out your wishes for labor. For example, your plan may include your preference for a home birth or the use of pain medications. It’s smart to create a birth plan with your healthcare provider in advance. You don’t want to have to make hard decisions while in active labor.
• Anticipate your post-pregnancy needs – The first few weeks after childbirth can be tiring and unfamiliar. But if you’re prepared, you can stay one step ahead. Before you have your baby, try to assemble anything you’ll need to be comfortable during those first few weeks, such as cozy clothes and plenty of frozen meals for easy cooking.

A little preparedness can go a long way in making first-time motherhood easier.

7 tips for first-time moms

Once your child is born, your life may change in ways you never dreamed of while pregnant. It can feel overwhelming at first, but you’ll get through it. We’re sharing these helpful tips to fall back on.

1. Trust your instincts

First-time mothers are often flooded with information. Every family member has an opinion. Healthcare providers pile on the pamphlets and brochures. Social media is filled with videos of “mommy hacks” and day-in-the-life vlogs.

Through all the noise, try to use your intuition as your North Star.

We’re not saying to ignore other voices. Friends and family can have good advice, and, of course, medical professionals are worth taking seriously.

But no one knows your body and your baby better than you. Trust your instincts when they tell you to rest, check on your child, or change your habits.

2. Seek support

As you probably found out during pregnancy, your support network is everything. After childbirth, having friends and family around is even more important.

However, you can’t expect loved ones to show up automatically all the time. You may still need to ask for help, and that’s not always easy. While asking for a home-cooked meal or a night off can feel selfish, remember: Your friends and family care about you and your new baby, and asking for the help you need is not selfish.

3. Educate yourself

Another crucial part of parenthood is education. Being a parent is a non-stop crash course in everything from changing diapers to identifying rashes.

Although you’ll learn a lot as you go, it’s helpful to have reliable resources on hand. That way, when a question comes up in the middle of the night, you’ll know where to go for trustworthy information.

Dependable online websites include:

• The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
• The American College of Nurse Midwives
• The American Society for Reproductive Medicine

You may also find parenting books at the library or handouts from local parenthood organizations.

4. Establish a routine

Life can feel crazy during the first few months of parenthood. To combat this sense of chaos, consider sticking to a routine. Getting into a groove is valuable for new parents and their babies.

For parents, routines offer predictability, reducing the number of decisions you need to make each day. For babies, a routine creates consistency around feeding and sleeping times.

As you embrace motherhood, experiment with schedules to find a routine that works for you.

5. Prioritize self-care

If you’ve ever been on a plane, you know the old story about oxygen masks: Always put on your own before helping someone else.

This advice also applies to parenthood. If you’re burnt out, you won’t have the energy to raise your kid. It’s important to take care of your own health and well-being, in addition to your baby’s health.

Self-care looks different for everyone, but some tried-and-true new mom suggestions include:

• Taking a warm bath
• Going for a short walk
• Meditating
• Reading
• Doing a skincare routine
• Spending time with friends
• Watching a favorite movie or TV show

6. Connect with other moms

For some, motherhood can feel lonely. Even though your partner may have been with you every step of the way, they don’t truly understand the realities of pregnancy and childbirth. They haven’t walked a mile in your shoes.

Other moms have.

That’s why building a community of mothers is so important. Your fellow moms can answer questions, calm your worries, and empathize better than anyone—because they’ve been through it, too.

Where can you find this emotional support? Look for parenting communities in these places:

• At your neighborhood library or community center
• On your preferred social media platform
• Through friends or family members
• In newspaper ads or flyers
• At your place of worship
• Through local parenthood organizations

7. Document your journey

Finally, do your best to take notes, photos, and videos throughout your new mom experience.

Bringing home a baby can be such a whirlwind that many moms forget to pause, reflect, and enjoy the little moments. Documenting your journey can help.

Consider keeping a journal—either in a paper notebook or an app—to record your thoughts, feelings, and learnings. Not only is a journal useful for storing memories, but it can also be a tool for processing complex emotions.

As the years fly by, you can reread your journal, look back on the early days, and smile.

The role of early sex testing

Most advice for new moms boils down to this: Be prepared.

And although there’s so much of parenting that you can’t plan for, there are some things you can take into your own hands.

With the SneakPeek® Early Gender DNA Test, you can learn your baby’s predicted sex long before they enter the world. This easy-to-use at-home test can tell you if your baby is expected to be a boy or a girl as early as 6 weeks into pregnancy, with over 99% accuracy.

Knowing your baby’s sex isn’t just about picking names or paint colors early. It’s an opportunity to create a deeper bond with your baby before they arrive, which can be meaningful if you’re feeling alone while pregnant and looking for ways to feel more connected to your journey.

Empowered parenthood awaits

Becoming a mother is a lot of things: It’s exciting, scary, joyful, fun, unpredictable, and so much more. Through it all, there will be milestones and memories, triumph and tears, firsts and lasts. So here’s one final tip for first-time moms: Celebrate every moment.

By embracing your journey and sharing it with others, you can make your first parenting experience truly unforgettable.