Hope that you are well and safe! I’m a full time working mother of two children, I have a passion for working with children and I believe in caring and nurturing the next generation for our future. I sincerely hope that this blog will serve as a platform to share my knowledge with parents and guardians so that we can maximize the potential of the young children together. Hope that you’ll enjoy my sharing!

The Seedling

Having a baby is one of the most beautiful and rewarding journey for both parents, albeit it does come with trepidation about the unknown. Being a new parent might seem overwhelming at times, especially to the new mommies; so I’d like to share a few tips from my experience, hope it helps to ease your anxiety and helps you to relax.

1. Chart things out with your partner - clearly define the roles and responsibilities from diaper changes to milk feeds as well as household chores - Your husband is not able to read your mind (yes, even though you’ve clearly hinted, nagged and repeated the instructions) and he’ll be jittery with the newborn too so it helps to map and write down all the roles and responsibilities.
   
   
2. Don’t fret with breastfeeding - Don’t get me wrong, I know that breastmilk is the best for the baby but it doesn’t improve our mental state when the newborn is wailing due to hunger and the mommy is exhausted from delivery. You can feed the baby your colostrum & supplement with infant formula if your baby is still hungry, don’t worry your breastmilk supply will pick up very soon as the baby latches more and you’ll soon have your Michelin baby.
    
3. Let your baby bond with others - on the baby’s first month itself, do make sure that daddy or guardian helps to bottle feed (either expressed breast milk (EBM) or formula milk) at least once a week, this allows daddy or guardian to bond with the baby as well as gives you a well-deserved break and rest. Furthermore if you’re a full time working mother (FTWM), you might want to plan as early as possible as babies like routine & fixed schedules.
   
   
4. Try to develop a sleep routine as early as possible – I’d like to recommend Tracy Hogg book "Secrets of the Baby Whisperer" which provided many useful analysis on sleep training and tips. However, every baby is a unique individual, so please don’t be frustrated if the methods do not work (I know it’s hard to be chirpy and loving and positive when you’re that tired). My second child was waking up every 15 minutes at night during her first month (I thought that was the end of my sanity), after trying all sorts of methods; we moved her cot to a quiet corner and miraculously, she slept through the night by her own from her second month onwards.
   
   
5. Avoid using pillows or blanket if possible, especially when they can start to roll over as early as 4 months old - This is a safety measure, to prevent Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) which is the unexplained death, usually during sleep, of a seemingly healthy baby less than a year old. Please refer to this article for more information: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sudden-infant-death-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20352800
   
   
6. Encourage sibling bonding as early as possible - Let your older child take part in taking care of his/her younger sibling, from helping out in chores, feeding milk or just plain patting and comforting the baby. It might be difficult in the beginning when your older child realizes that he/she is no longer the center of your universe, but persevere and set clear boundaries so that he/she knows how to be around the baby and very soon they’ll be inseparable
   
   
7. Here are some reading materials on baby’s developmental milestones (above 6 months): https://www.enfagrow.com.sg/development/baby.

 Hope that you enjoy my write up, I’d love to hear from you! Do feel free to comment on this article or write to us at [email protected].

Take care & stay safe!

– By Hazel