Being Your Best
Being a good mom doesn’t mean being a perfect mom. It means doing the best you can with what you have where you are, as Teddy Roosevelt once said. Truly, TR’s words are a description for everybody trying to do anything worthwhile in life. Anything worth doing, is worth doing to the best of your ability.
With that in mind, here we’ll quickly cover three key things every new mom will likely need. If you haven’t thought the following things out it may be worthwhile for you to do so.
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Babysitting and Community Help
You’re going to want to be there for your child 24/7, but you can’t be. There will be times when you need somebody to watch the baby. Even your spouse will sometimes not be available. And, there will be situations where you just need a breather.
Family and friends can help when the baby is very young. As the child matures, knowing where you can find a good babysitter is smart. Also, look into parental resources in your local community. They can provide you with things like daycare resources that may be more affordable than what you’d find on your own.
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Lactation Consultation
Your baby may not latch immediately. Sometimes there are issues that you can fix, sometimes there aren’t. Your personal nutrition and emotional state, that of the baby, and factors beyond the control of anybody can all come into play. A lot of moms get a breast pump in advance just in case. Another good idea is finding breastfeeding consultants you can trust.
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General Medical Options
As your child develops, teeth will come in, they’ll get larger, hurt themselves, get sick, and you’ll want a trusted pediatrician. You’ll also want a dentist, and perhaps an optometrist. Your pediatrician should be able to give you a good idea of your child’s health, so finding a healthcare network with a pediatrician you trust is a good place to start.
Parental support networks can help give you an idea which doctors in your area are going to be best for your child, and additional healthcare options you may want to look into.
Giving You and Your Baby a Head Start
Give yourself the tools you need to succeed as a parent. For your newborn, it’s a good idea to know a lactation specialist you can contact right after you give birth. While the local hospital can probably direct you to someone, you won’t have as much say as if you found one you trusted in advance.
You need care options for when you or your spouse aren’t able to be there. Community help through a support network is very important for new parents, and even those who have been a part of a given community for a while. Also, you’re going to want general medical support for your child. Pediatricians are a good place to start there.
