mommieslearning

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Learning Mommies

Blog 10

Currently I'm quite literally a student. I'm learning every day in addition to being a mom. In creating this blog I set out with the objective of connecting with other mothers. Gathering advice, tips, tricks and learning outside of school.

Through this experience i've been able to share my story, learn about yours, and gather inspiration to parent more confidently.

Being a college student and mother is difficult but I found that what's most important is time management. Some tips I can pass on would be to write down your short term and long term goals. On a daily basis I find that making a to-do list is helpful. At first I would forget to check on my list but I incorporated alarms on my phone as a reminder to check up on my list and get things done.

Taking care of a home on top of being a student and a first time mom is ... Well tough. But breaking up the day and setting up a routine to stay on top of chores and fun activities for your child is possible. I personally find that cleaning and going on a walk or to the park in the morning works great. Once we get home and settled in I'm able to focus on my sons nap time and start my school work. Late afternoons are dedicated to cooking dinner. Lastly we end off the day on our bed time routine.

This is what works best for me. I'm sure you all have your own preferences and needs. But please continue to share with us your experiences. I've loved creating this small community and learning from each of you mommas.

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The Transition

Blog 9

Something I wasn't ready for was the transition from infant to toddler. One day my son was learning to roll over. Next thing I know he's crawling and exploring every inch of the house. After that was the climbing on everything tall, sharp, and scary (for me not him). Now that he's over the age of one he's walking and running everywhere.

It's sometimes a frustrating feeling to deal with a tantrum. But I hear that it's only going to get better. By that I mean more frequent and louder.

Sometimes I find myself putting on his shoes and looking at the world from his eyes. Now that he can move and run and explore, I understand why he'd be so curious. At this point in his developmental capacity he is only starting to learn new words and associate objects and people with names and labels. The word "Help" sometimes is lost from his vocabulary, so a tantrum ensues.

It's a normal and part of life for a toddler to express their emotions this way. Teaching new coping tools and different ways to express themselves is important. Teaching your child how to self regulate their emotions is a great coping mechanism for all of their feelings. It promotes independence. I try encouraging my son to take deep breathes. If he's crying sometimes I'll blow his hair out of his face and i'll get a giggle or two. I don't necessarily want to rely on a distract and delay method. I certainly try teaching him to calm down and communicate by pointing or he's familiar with A.S.L. So I will use sign language for a few basic needs/ requests/ commands.

What are some techniques you use or advice you can pass on?

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Doms first car seat!

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Car Seat Safety

Blog 8

The creation of a car seat was actually not for safety purposes. It was meant to restrain your children from moving around in a moving car. The first carseats were described as a burlap sacks with a drawstring that hung over the headrest of the passenger's seat. They weren't marketed to the publics general concern for safety. But more so it was marketed as a the luxury for connivence. A way to hunker down your ever moving children.

Now-A-Days when it came down to picking out a car seat in my research I came across a lot of information about safety. I found articles on the best way to install your car seat, safety re-calls, and the sizing that best fits your child needs. I learned a ton of different tips. I would encourage you do your research early on in your pregnancy. This way it's not a last minute rash decision. You're able to make an informed choice and even save up for a good car seat that fits your needs.

I learned that it's safest to install your car seat in the center rear seat. It's important to place the carseat to be backward facing. It's been proven to be the safest placement through multiple safety studies.

Before purchasing your favorite choice, make sure to double check if there have been any safety recalls lately.

As your child grows their needs will change. But generally for new borns they'll need a smaller make and model that will fit up until one or two years of age. The needs vary based off weight and height.

One additional intresting piece of information I learned is that I could go to my local police station and ask for help installing the car seat. I personally have only used a car seat as a child. I had a lot of first time mom anxiety when it comes to something as important as getting it installed correctly.

Please comment your questions or tips so we can help one another learn.

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Apparently the focus is not on safety.

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Lock Down

Blog 7

The COVID-19 virus took over the world in 2020. It was difficult to navigate the world with all of the constant and quick rules to abide by. COVID redefined what normal meant for everyone.

As rules were always changing outside it is our responsibility to define the "inside" home rules. Whether you're preparing for your first time brining your baby home, your child is still a new born, infant, or even young adults. It's important to openly communicate your boundaries and rules.

Often times when a new family member is born everyone will swarm to come greet them. I personally had reservations on who to allow over, how many people, even what protective gear should we all wear. What worked for me was having a two week grace period before introducing our son to our immediate family. After that I expanded that into our friends with in 90 days of bringing our son home from the hospital. Allowing him to grow his immune system was important to me.

There's no right or wrong answer on how to go about what rules you want to create. Setting boundaries with your partner and loved ones is necessary. What's most important is that the style in which you communicate with people is respectful.

Exposing your children to different germs is a part of every day life. It's important to not obsess over the small details. Children will get sick just as every other person there is. Try to write down your concerns and then plausible solutions for them. It can help you organize your thoughts and communicate them with your loved ones.

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PostPartum Care

Blog 6

There are a lot of proactive actions you can take in order to ensure your post partum recovery goes smoothly. We've gone over the dangers of sleep deprivation. But there are other post partum symtopms that you should keep an eye out for. Before they start to slowly creep up on you.

A very common symptom for women post partum is hairloss. A leading cause for hairloss is the changes of homronal levels in your body. During your pregancny your body will experience a rise of estrogen levels. Estrogen will increase the bloodflow to the scalp region and increase your bodys hair growth. Around 3 to 4 months post partum that decline of estrogen causes the hair to shed.

A good way to tackle this issue is by increasing your iron and zinc intake. By eating lentils, beans, seasame, seeds, and chickpeas you can increase those vitamins in your body. Zinc helps keep the oil glands intact and enhance their role in hair growth. Iron will help you from becoming anemic and help with hair retention.

Postpartum doesn't only effect you physically. The baby blues are known for the mental effects that take place due to hormonal changes. Women are reported to feel depression, persistent feelings of sadness, guilt, and hopelessness. A more formal name for this is PostPartum Depression (PPD).

It's important to address these feelings and communicate them with your loved ones and doctors. Your OGBYN is a great resource for assitance with your hormonal imbalance. At your six week post partum appointment please make sure to open up about how you feel. Your doctor will have resources available for you to reffer to seeking long term mental health treatments.

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Sleep Deprivation

Blog 5

Now that your little one has settled in the first few months of parenthood. You're able to have a overall idea of what you need to do in a day to best take care of your baby. But what about what's best to take care of yourself? What does your connection with friends, family, even your partner feel like now-a-days?

A big struggle you'll likely find in the first few months of a baby's life is their strenuous sleep and feeding schedule. It is difficult waking up every 3 or 4 hours to either feed or put your baby back to sleep. This is normally known as sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation will cause you to think slower, have mood swings, and reduce your concentration.

I have found a few different tips and tricks that helped.

Napping- try to sleep when the baby is sleeping. I know you'll likely want to clean, cook, or shower. But once you start to feel the effects of sleep deprivation it's best to rest. If you have family that offer to help. Don't decline or isolate yourself. It's extremely important you get sleep.

Food- try to eat a healthy diet. Sugars will effect your sleep cycle and effect your ability to get meaningful rest. Sugar is a stimulant and so is caffeine. Try to avoid these both if it's possible. If you can't, at the best try to avoid it in the afternoon and evening.

Routine- try and create a schedule for yourself that takes into consideration the necessities of your child.

It's important to refuse to accept a lack of sleep as normal and instead focus on sleeping more and getting higher quality rest.

You need to take care of yourself in order to take care of someone else.

What do you do to combat sleep deprivation?

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Babies and Pets

Blog 4

There's a lot of strategy and preparation that goes into introducing your pets and newborn. Adding a new member to your pack can be overwhelming for your furry friends. Whether you have one dog or many dogs. it's important to set a solid foundation for the groundwork of how things will change.

When we think of babies, we likely think to ourselves that they are so fragile and delicate. But it's our role as pet owners to establish the hierarchy for respect in your household. You and your child will come first as the leaders of your pack. I know it probably sounds silly to call your new born a leader. But as they grow they will need to hold that role in order to help take care of your pets.

Bringing home Dominic I was greeted with excitement by our dog, Lacey. While pregnant I did as much research as I could to ensure that the transition for both Dominic and Lacey went as best as it could. Here is some information that I found to be very helpful:

Establish confident body language. Dogs will pick up on your nervous energy. It's important to not let your anxiety or imagination take over. Control your breathing, maintain a calm and stern voice, and remain calm.

Your dog has likely missed you during your time away bringing this baby into the world. They'll likely be excited when you first walk in. Let the hello's and hugs and regular greeting commotion run their course. Separate your dog and your new born until your dog calms down.

In my experience both my partner and I allowed Lacey to sniff Dominic's hospital clothing first. Once she seemed uninterested and calm we introduced the two. She was really excited to finally meet him. But naturally after a few days excitement turned into jealousy.

Jealousy from your pet is to be expected. if you need to keep your puppy on a leash to feel comfortable, please do so. You can reward their behavior with a treat. Try and keep their initial interactions short and gradually increase their time together and exposure.

It's important to note that you should not ever leave your pets unsupervised with your babies. As much as we trust our pets it's important we monitor and control their interactions with your baby in your home.

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Pets and Babies

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Bringing Your Baby Home

Blog 3

You likely began preparing for this moment for months ago. The term "nesting" is a label for the natural instinct that pregnant women have. It's normally described as an intense drive to nurture and prepare your futures baby enviorment.

Planning where they'll sleep, eat, have their diapers changed, or even play. It's common to clean everything and arrange it all perfectly for their arrival.

Here's a list of suggestions I can provide based off of my own experience:

Try and set up your childs sleeping area. I found that a bassinet worked best for me. I found comfort in in having the baby by our bedside for night nursings and quick diaper changes. We had our sons crib built while I was still pregnant. It was an easy transition into the crib once he out grew the bassinet.

If you're able to create an online registry you can have one solid list to organize your thoughts. You're able to choose different outfits for your baby, different bottles, pacifiers, cleaning equiptment, etc. It's also a great way of communicating what you need to your loved ones. In doing this it eliminates the chance of three different people getting you three of the same item. What ever isn't purchased as a gift, you can cross off the list and get yourself.

Childproofing isn't quite necessary when you have a newborn. They won't be crawling around for a couple of months so you do have some time to spare in that department.

Lastly, make sure you don't forget about yourself. You'll need a few items for post partum care. Whether you have a C-Section or natural birth you'll want to look into different self care supplies that best suit your circumstance.

The first time coming home with your child is very special. I hope you found this to be helpful and please comment down below some of your suggestions and thoughts!

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Breastfeeding, Pumping, or Formula?

Blog 2

Like we said earlier, there are a lot of questions that come with becoming a new parent. One of the first questions you'll likely need to ask yourself is how are we going to feed this baby?

Breastfeeding begins earlier then you think. Your body begins to produce milk glands and colostrum while pregnant. Colostrum is known as "liquid gold." It is the very first drops of milk your body will make. Around 3-5 days post partum the consistency of your milk will change and increase in volume. There are so many different ways to breastfeed. It's all about what feels right for you and the baby. You'll be feeding your baby every 2-3 hours so you need to choose what position works best for you and your little one. As your baby grows breastfeeding can become a source of comfort for your baby. It's important to listen to your body with this process.

Pumping is the process of extracting milk to bottle feed your baby breast milk. Babies recieve the benefits of breast milk such as, food that's rich in fats and antibodies. Not only that but you are able to stock your milk and take some longer breaks. If you have a partner that's able to assist with feeding the baby they can take over and give you a break as well.

Lastly formula is another option. It's a artifical subsitute for human breast milk. It's normally prepared for bottle-feeding or cup-feeding from powder or liquid. Some women choose to do a mixture of both breast milk and formula as a suppliment.

Beastfeeding, pumping and formula all have their benefits.

There is no right or wrong answer. All that matters is you take the time to consider the effects of feeding on yourself and your baby.

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👇 Tips to prepare yourself prenatally! 👇

🤱 Take a childbirth education class that’s *taught by a Lactation Consultant* and/or take a prenatal breastfeeding class. The Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Classes include lots of helpful information about newborn care and breastfeeding. This one also happens to be taught by an experienced Lactation Consultant. 👏

🤱 Call your insurance company and ask about your coverage for a breast pump. Don’t assume that the one they want to give you is a good one! Breast pumps vary greatly in quality and insurance companies love to provide cheap ones when they can. Ask a lactation professional for their recommendations and read reviews yourself. A breast pump that’s been opened, even unused, is usually not returnable.

🤱 Ask your insurance company about reimbursement for in-home lactation consultations. Usually, you have to pay for this at the time of service and then file a claim to get reimbursed. Knowing your options before you’re sleep-deprived and stressed is infinitely helpful!

🤱 Find a Lactation Consultant in your area who takes your insurance. Check out Zipmilk.org to search for qualified professionals near you. Work with them prenatally if possible, especially if you’ve had trouble breastfeeding in the past. 

🤱 Find a pediatrician’s office that has a Lactation Consultant on staff! This is the BEST way to get lactation care quickly without paying an arm and a leg.

🤱 Find a Baby Friendly Hospital to give birth at. You’re much more likely to succeed at breastfeeding if you give birth in a facility that’s dedicated to breastfeeding support. Visit babyfriendlyusa.org to search for hospitals and birth centers that are certified.

🤱 Check out CDC.gov/breastfeeding/data/mpinc to look at your state’s breastfeeding report card. Ask your obstetrician or midwife how the infant feeding practices at their facility compare to the rest of your state. Your state health department may have more data available about individual hospitals as well.

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i learned that it wasn’t until 2018 that breastfeading in public became legal in all 50 states. Before that, public indecency laws still applied in some states (x)

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[Image description: a baby holding a protest sign edited to say “Formula isn’t bad just because it’s not natural. It’s actually very important and helpful for mothers who have difficulties breastfeeding”]