I know a few pregnant ladies and new moms (new than me). They have got me thinking about all the crazy things people tell you when you are pregnant or holding a newborn. It is like a free pass for total strangers to tell you how you should eat, give birth, find your kegel, breath into your pelvic floor, get your baby to sleep, eat, go longer between feedings, poop more, poop less.
Now, I want to tell them every bit of advice I found useful. I have become one of those people. It was inevitable. So here it goes:
- You are going to be a great mother.
- You know everything you need to know. (Don’t let anyone tell you how to parent your kids, especially me. Only you know how to mother your baby. Why? Because you are the mommy, that is why!)
- Tell your husband you have diareha. There are days, or weeks, that will be hard. Just tell your partner you have diareah. Go in the bathroom. Relax. Read a magazine. Do your nails, whatever it takes till you feel better. (This is the best advice I ever got.)
- Sit down with your partner before the baby comes, and discuss how you will devide the responsibilities, i.e. baby care, cleaning, laundry, finances, all it takes to run your household.
- All you need to do for the first 3 weeks is nurse.
I wish I could remember more of the crazy stuff, but there was too much going on. People would mostly comment on how big my belly was, and marvel at that I could still fit into the booth at Ruby Tuesday’s. Hot.
Dish, what did people tell you?
(This picture is of my mom, who is not big on unsolicited advice. I’m lucky to have her.)