Mammas to Mammas..
I asked some mums from Baby Massage to share their tips for mums-to-be and here’s their thoughts..
“Hospitals are very warm, so bring light clothes for birth and couple of days post birth
Have lots of comfy clothes/ pjs for home (i had the night sweats v bad after birth so went through lots of pjs!)
Meal prep dinners before baba arrives +++ and take offers of other people cooking for you
Take time post partum for your physical recovery. I was surprised how tired/ achy/ weak/ sore my body was from birth and feeding. Having someone to mind the baby so you can have an unrushed shower and a stretch of your back/ neck etc every day (if possible) is a godsend!
Lastly, but not least, enjoy every single kiss and cuddle amongst the chaos of it all 🥰
Best of luck to all of the soon to be mammas!! ”
“I’d say try to be open about the birth as everything can change so quickly. Would highly recommend pregnancy massage, last trimester is tough. I went to Ingrid in minding mums massage in Tallaght, she’s excellent. Also really liked the ‘is it normal’ podcast with Jessie Ware, uk based but goes through each week of pregnancy. Give time for yourself to recover, ask partner to bring stuff to you. My poor hubby was up and down like a yo-yo 😂 Don’t feel guilty for having pyjama days but even a short walk a day can help alleviate the cabin fever feeling. I used it as an excuse to get a proper coffee! If breastfeeding get the silver cups and link in with IBCLC early on. Nappy stations up and down stairs too 😂”
“I would say some of these would of helped me during pregnancy
- enjoy your pregnancy as much as you can, as also I realised mum to be is treated very special but after baby is born you csn get forgotten about so its important for you to remember you and that your partner gives you some time in the morning to have shower etc. (I took having a shower for granted 😅)
- Do ask if people can come for few hours even just to hold the baby and maybe bring couple meals ( it was great)
- get a nursing pillow (even if not breastfeeding it’s super handy)
- do some back/arm exercises as already I have feel both are sore as time goes all
Enjoy the moments where its just you and the baby, you are their world.”
“I found a few of the below helpful:
-try to find a way to stay as active as you can. I did a couple of courses of antenatal aqua aerobics and found it absolutely brilliant. The weightlessness of being in the water made it really enjoyable and easy to move and be active. It was also really lovely to have a date and time carved out to get out of the house after work that is just for you - there is not a lot of time for that afterwards!
- this might be overly practical but you can buy the maternity towels the hospital give you in chemists or online. They are better / more comfortable than the ones you buy in tesco or whatever and are worth the money for the first couple of weeks.
- ask the baby doctor specifically to check for tongue tie during the check before you leave the hospital if you plan to breastfeed. They don’t seem to do it as standard and if you know about it early it will save you a lot of pain and upset later on.
- make sure to check the extras on health insurance for mother and baby. Even if your health insurance doesn’t cover private care, lots of plans cover stuff like home visits from lactation consultants and food packages. (And baby massage!! 🥰)
- try to find a class or group in your local area for when you are looking to start getting out, again if you are breastfeeding it is nice to meet in a BF group at first if you need some support / confidence for doing it in public at the start.
- lots of cinemas do mother and baby mornings, where the tickets are very cheap. Everyone there has a baby and they let you bring all the buggies in. It’s a nice outing option with a small baby becasue you won’t be stressing about babies crying!
- everyone will want to see the baby straight away, but don’t feel bad about saying no if a visit doesn’t suit you or you don’t feel up to it. The baby isn’t going anywhere - no harm to wait a couple of days until you are ready for visitors.”