Let’s face it, those first few weeks (and months) with your newborn can be intense.

To help, we’ve put together 10 New Mom Survival Tips. It’s everything we think you need to know that the books don’t tell you.

We hope these new mom survival tips give you the confidence and reassurance to survive and thrive through the fourth trimester and beyond.

Trust your gut.

You may be new to this Mama and feel like you have no idea what you’re doing, but here you are, and even if you don’t believe it, your mother instincts know just what to do. Your body knows, just as it did these last nine months of carrying your little one, exactly what your new BFF needs and wants. It’s biological, its instinct. It’s motherhood. Quiet the noise of social media and friends and family members that make you second-guess yourself, so you can hear what your gut says and get in tune with your baby.

So many expecting moms think, “I took the classes at the hospital and I don’t need to pay for new friends, I already have friends that have babies.”

We completely understand where you’re coming from. You’ve done all of the prep work and you have lots of friends who are mamas – why should you pay to meet other moms? Isn’t that what your friends are for?

But here’s the thing.

There is a huuuuuge difference between having friends who have 6-month olds, 1-year olds, and 3-year olds, and having a group with moms who have babies the exact same age as yours. Once your friends have passed the newborn phase, they’re having a completely different experience than you are. Sure, they might remember it was hard, but they won’t be able to relate to you in the way that people going through the exact same thing will.

This year, World Breastfeeding Week took us in unimaginable circumstances. The whole world is struggling to adapt to a new reality.

I had big plans to celebrate this week. Cool campaigns to raise awareness, including gatherings, pictures, and videos. However, COVID-19 came to change our plans.

I can't deny that I was frustrated and off of ideas. But, then I thought about how much connected I've been with my family, my friends, and my clients, more than ever before. Maybe this is not a time to show and do, but to communicate and deliberate.

I decided to pick the strongest statements in the breastfeeding world and bring them to my platform to raise some thoughts and open discussions.

Let’s face it, we moms barely have time to pursue any interests outside the core family functions and the luxury of reading a book cover to cover might be a thing of the past. That’s why audiobook apps like Audible are so good.

Here are my Top 2 recommendations for parenting books you’ll want to listen to. You can listen in bed, while you fold the laundry or pump/feed; wherever you can! Just pop your earphones in and listen as the pages unfold.

Recommended read:

The Explosive Child: A New Approach for Understanding and Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children by Dr. Ross W. Greene.

Every mom, no matter how old her child, should listen to this on Audible. It’s 2.5 hours and can be listened to in sections if you need it. The best part about listening to it is the vignettes you hear of parents talking to their children. They are so relatable and easy to replicate.

Your newborn is a precious addition to the world but also requires an adjustment to your daily schedule. Here are some essential tips that should help.

1. Don’t try and force a schedule.

Infants are demanding but that should be expected. Though you may desire a certain schedule of your own, do your best not to force a schedule on your newborn. It can take weeks, sometimes months, to know your baby’s needs. Go easy on yourself and give it time to learn what they’re telling you.

Let your baby eat whenever he or she wants without applying a regular timetable. Before you know it, you’ll be in a nice rhythm. You can expect that your infant may require to eat more often than you think, especially during the first month or so.