2012 End of the Year Tips: Part 3 - Mommy

This part three series of the 2012 End of the Year Tips is about Mommy. All about Mommy, lol

A little bit about me is that I am currently a stay home mother, with a one year old baby girl.

Did you always hear that when your baby was born that you should take naps when the baby naps? Yes, over and over and over again. Well, let me tell you that I did not heed this warning, I tried to be the perfect mother and perfect housekeeper, and perfect this and perfect that. And all it did was burnt me out which was not good for my newborn baby and myself as a new mother. Did I learn from it? Nope, I did not learn to take naps when baby sleeps. So to all new mothers or mothers with a newborn: TAKE A NAP WHEN THE BABY SLEEPS. I know easier said then done but at least try and that was what I did.

Breastfeed the baby, it is such a natural thing to do, so why not? I am still breastfeeding my one year old. There are many benefits for the baby. And there are benefits to myself as well, I lost all my pregnancy weight gain and then some. Breastfeeding is draining, and tiresome, so make sure you take your prenatal vitamins, eat well, and drink a lot.

Invest in a good supportive bra.  I do not like nursing bras, I find it a hassle to take off the clips especially when the baby is very demanding and wants milk right now. It is always difficult to take off the clips on the nursing bras as well as hard to put it back on. I like the concept of the nursing bras, but it just did not work for me. I rather, just push my bras down and always make sure that my tops are stretchy enough to go underneath my breasts.

If you can, get a extra pair of hands to help out especially in the beginning. I had absolutely refused to let anyone take care of my baby. I was the new mother that wanted to do it all by herself, because I wanted to learn how to take care of my baby and her needs. It was either my husband or I taking care of Lina<3, but mostly me. I took care of the diaper changes, changing clothes, cleaning up spit ups or poop/urine mess, bathing, and food.  Even now, I am the same way, except I am willing to let someone else watch her, like my parents, while I do chores.

Do your Kegel exercise! If you have been doing it since you been pregnant then it should not be a problem to continue it. I find it hard to do at times but is continuing it to prevent urinary incontinence. 

Go to your six week check up after the baby is born, to make sure that everything is fine.

Go out without the baby. This one was extremely hard for me to do, as I never want to leave my baby and I did not want to miss anything that she is doing. My motto is where Mommy goes, Lina<3 goes. There were two days where I actually went out without my baby and it did feel good to leave the house and not be concern about taking care of the baby.

Do little things to pampers yourself when you have time: for me it could be a taking a longer hot shower, or doing my nails, or styling my hair differently, or read a book, or read the newspaper or just lay back and relax. Pampering yourself could be just anything that you enjoy, and it does not have to be elaborate.

Have dinner with your husband/spouse/love one. This was extremely hard to do when Lina<3 was a newborn and very demanding, but I always make sure that my husband and I have dinner together (even now). Also dedicate a few minutes to hugging or cuddling in bed, because you do not want your husband to feel neglected.

When the baby got older and started eating more solid foods, I make sure that dinner includes all of us as a family as much as possible.


Well, this is the last of the part three series of the 2012 End of the Year Tips, and I hope that everyone enjoyed the three part series. Please share your tips that had helped you or your baby in 2012.
2012 is coming quickly to an end. THANK YOU for staying with Lina<3 for the past six months. All About Lina<3 appreciates all the viewers and support, and hopes that everyone had a great 2012.


Please be advised that these tips are from my own experiences and if there should be any concerns or questions regarding these tips, please speak to a professional.