Acting Like A Mum I’ve re written this so many times. I struggled at first because I have really enjoyed my journey so far and I figured no one would want to read about a positive fourth trimester right? But then I realised how, throughout my whole pregnancy I avoided negative birth stories like the plague like Covid (woah how iconic. That’s going to be a phrase people use instead now isn’t it?!) Watching positive birth videos and reading positive blogs left me feeling so excited and crying happy tears. So hopefully instead, this will give any expectant parents a positive mindset when heading for newborn life. Dear new parents to be, I promise you first and foremost- everyone is winging it. Everyone. So don’t let other people’s opinions worry you. Your parents made mistakes over and over again until they too stumbled across some sort of system that worked for their style of parenting. I can’t promise you that they will remember this and let you find your own groove without shoving their (severely outdated) advice down your throat. Remember they mean well, take a breath, thank them even- but what
worked for them might not work for you (and actually might not even be legal now… hello anyone born before 2002, sitting on our parents laps in the car with 7 people in a 5 seater…) Also, everything you get told from one professional to another will be complete contradictions. Seriously, it’s a minefield and you have to take everything with a pinch of salt. Eventually you will learn what works for you and your baby. When we were at the hospital, the midwives taught my husband and I how to swaddle our baby to put her down to sleep. If you are like me and have been firm disciples of the lullaby trust, this will shock you, swaddling is a big no no right?! Also in hospital (where the baby wards are as hot as the fricking equator) you have to keep a hat on your baby, even when they sleep, in a vest, a baby grow and like 4 layers of (swaddled) blankets. When we had our first midwife visit at our (far cooler than the ward) home, the midwife nearly had a heart attack when she saw our baby wearing a hat in bed and made us feel like awful parents. I wasn’t lying, the contradictions are rife.
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