7 tips you want to hear from a new mother

There he is, my boy Wolf. The little man was born on August 10th (’22). That's right: day one of a ‘delightful’ Dutch heatwave, remember? A week long 32 degrees, or in other words, exactly what I’m not so happy about: heat. Fortunately, the delivery went unexpectedly fast, an epidural was planned, but in the end, it wasn’t needed at all. In fact, before we knew it, we were back home and our life suddenly wasn’t the same anymore. I’ll take you through the first six months as a smitten new mother with seven tips that I want to share with you:

1. Suddenly you’re a mom
Your life is turned upside down and your body is filled with love hormones and adrenaline. Wonderful for the first weeks, but then you only realize how tired you actually are. So take as much bed rest as possible, especially in those first days, because believe me: you need it. Sleep when your baby sleeps, let the maternity nurse take care of not just your baby, but also you, and perhaps the best tip of all: schedule a postpartum massage. I had quite a bit of trouble with postpartum tears and believe me: they are crazy. While cleaning the countertop, they flowed like a tidal wave down my cheeks and I really had no idea why. Thanks to the massage I booked with Layla Cremer, they completely disappeared and there were no more tears left afterwards: a little quality time for yourself is what you truly deserve in those first rollercoaster weeks.

2. Parental leave in the Netherlands: so outdated
In the Netherlands, we are really lagging behind when we look at the rest of the world regarding parental leave and especially about the ‘free’ time for your partner. My boyfriend was lucky enough to get six weeks of paternity leave from his employer, in addition to the nine weeks that you recently get reimbursed by the government for 70 percent of their daily wage. That should be normal, right? You both need to adjust to your new role and the first weeks are wonderful, but to be honest: also tough. Save your vacation days and personal days and take as much time off as possible, especially in those first weeks. You will both need it and your little one won’t be so little for long.

3. The app
It can be done without, but why make it difficult when it can be easy? Keeping track of feeding, cuddling, and sleeping times is really advanced mathematics when your memory sometimes fails you, and if I have to believe Lilian, this will never completely come back. I kept track of everything in the free Baby+ app: really a lifesaver. You are feeding every three hours, cuddling for an hour, and then back to bed (or walking and taking a nap in our Joolz Geo3 stroller). You might not be able to imagine it, but it just really wasn’t possible to keep it all in my head, and before you know it, you were so many hours further along. In the app, you also find daily fun info about everything surrounding your mini, really a recommendation.. 4. Recognize the cries.

The only way your mini communicates with you is by crying. This way, he lets you know that there is discomfort or a need for something, but figuring out what that is can sometimes be quite a quest. Until I discovered the crying sounds list (hallelujah). Thanks to that list, I could respond very quickly when Wolf was crying by listening carefully or softly mimicking his cry. Really, it worked almost always. Let me go through them with you:
‘Neeeehhh’

• ‘is often a longer sound and when the tongue moves from top to bottom, it can mean one thing: I’m hungry.’ ‘Aaaauw’.
• ‘is a bit of a whiny cry, the mouth makes a sort of oval yawn shape: I’m tired, help me fall asleep.’ ‘Hehhh’.
• ‘with emphasis on a long H means discomfort. Is your baby too warm or too cold? A full diaper? A onesie that doesn’t fit well, a sweater that itches?’ ‘Ehhhhh’
• ‘you mainly hear this after drinking, so that can only mean one thing: there’s a burp stuck.’ Last but not least is.
• ‘eairrrrh’: ‘a bit of a frustrating and pressing sound: cramps. Try to massage your little one or make gentle cycling movements with the legs. 5. Get out.

It’s so exciting to go outside for the first time with the little one. You definitely take way too much with you: ten pairs of diapers, six muslin cloths, an extra set of clothes; all for that little block around the block, but you never know what to expect. Our Joolz Geo3 is really made to carry a lot: the basket underneath can hold 15 kilos of stuff alone, and then you also have plenty of space on the handle to hang everything. That little block around the block was quickly replaced by all of Amsterdam, a day at the beach, a walk in the woods, and a weekend towards Brabant where my boyfriend's family lives. During that cozy weekend, Wolf also slept in the
crib of the Joolz Geo3 , no unnecessary hauling with a camping bed, ideal.; 6. Without a doubt: travel by car.

In October, we drove towards Viva La France and stayed at hotel Le Barn, near Paris and Versailles. If you’re in the area, you can’t skip the city, not even with a baby. Reserve a parking spot in a garage, it saves you from driving in circles, and for a day pass, you’ll spend about €30. You might be surprised, but the city is perfect with a stroller: everyone makes way for you, and in the smallest restaurants, tables were moved aside so you can easily walk to your spot. We were amazed at how friendly everyone was; unfortunately, it’s often different in the Netherlands. I was also breastfeeding at the time and secretly found it a bit uncomfortable to do that in public (not necessary, I know), but the investment in the wireless and silent Elvie breast pump is 100 percent worth it.
7. Or the plane.

Just before the holidays, we super last minute hopped on a plane to Moraira. Do you find flying exciting with a little one? Totally understandable but really unnecessary. At the airport in the Netherlands, but especially in Spain, you get priority everywhere. They even have a special security check for parents and children to make it as comfortable as possible for everyone. What’s also really a treat is that you get to board the plane first to settle in, and we were also allowed to take our Joolz Geo3 stroller
until the end, so Wolf could have a nice little nap in between. The biggest fear of parents on the plane is a crying baby. We made sure to have a nice full bottle of milk at takeoff and a pacifier for landing, which reduces the chance of painful pressure in the ears and thus a good number of tears during the flight. If your child does cry, don’t panic; there’s nothing you can do about it, and remember: you’re definitely not the first. Crying sounds list source: Dunstan Baby Language (KraamZus) 7 tips you want to hear from a new mother amayzine.

7 valuable tips you want to hear from a new mother