After 40 weeks (give or take) of carrying and nurturing your baby inside your womb, doctor visits, parenting classes, a baby shower, research and advice, some may think you should be ready for the arrival of your newborn. But how can you be ready to perform a roll you never had any practice in?

Talking to friends and family, taking parenting classes at your hospital, and researching for blogs and books, are all ways to get yourself ready for the arrival of your offspring. But there is nothing like first hand experience, which you will get once your baby arrives. Ready or not, you will find that you deal with what life and your newly expanded family hands you.

So what should you expect when your newborn arrives? The level of emotions you will feel is personal. You may bond with your baby immediately or it may take a little longer. Either way, take into account the temporary ups and downs you may experience if you suffer from baby blues. Feeling overwhelmed, no matter how prepared you may believe you are for this baby, is natural and normal. After all, your life as you know it has changed and you are now a mother.

You can expect little sleep and not very much time for yourself in the beginning. But this will change with time. As your baby grows, he will learn to sleep through the night and you will feel more comfortable to take some time for yourself.

If you plan to breastfeed, you may experience an adjustment period where your body will learn how much milk to produce for the needs of your newborn. Until that happens, you may be leaking (so get pads for your nursing bras). Also you may experience engorgement, nipple pain and other discomforts that will disappear with time and experience. While you are still in the hospital, ask to see a lactation consultant to learn about breast feeding tips and make sure your baby latches on correctly.

Having a baby is demanding, can be exhausting, sometimes nerve wracking and above all, a big responsibility. But at the end of the day, raising your newborn is the most rewarding job you can have. You will melt when your baby starts to smile and find tremendous joy seeing him accomplish milestones and learn new things.

Give it time. You will feel more comfortable in your new roll with experience, and your baby’s growth and development will be an indicator to the fabulous job you are doing.

We all have our moments; after all, there is no ‘class’ on how to become parents.  We gave birth, and suddenly this huge responsibility landed in our laps.

While pregnant, you prepare yourself for the arrival of your baby. You may take baby care classes at your hospital, speak to your family and friends about your questions and concerns, or maybe read books or research the internet. It is good practice to get advice and information and prepare for the future.

Still, as much as you plan for the future, when you hold your newborn for the first time, with all the joy and excitement, it is common and normal to worry about the unknown. After all, you have never been a Mom before.

If you sometimes worry that you’re not cut out to be a Mom, you are not alone. Some 70%-80% of moms have doubts about this big role in life. You may overcome this feeling after adjusting to your new title, or carry this feeling for years. Either way, if your child is loved and cared for, you are doing your job as a Mom.

As a Mom, it is expected that you will face times where you will need to be strong, resourceful, or just plain creative to deal with the situations of day to day life. Don’t forget to pat yourself on the back every once in a while and remember to cut yourself some slack.

When you see your friends or family members go through a pregnancy, you think “how nice”, maybe even “lucky her”. The last thing you probably think about is the stress and planning that they go through until, well, you are there.  Yes, there are planners who think of it all in advance, but even they have surprises along the way.

As your delivery date approaches, you may suddenly realize that you actually do not know how to care for a baby, have never given a bath to a newborn, or you are clueless about breastfeeding. These types of thoughts may be overwhelming, but are expected. Before you allow yourself to freak out (which is allowed, but not always necessary or beneficial…) you should know – you are not alone!

Lets start with the fact that everyone who chooses to have a baby has to learn how to care for their child.  It has been done for generations (how else would we be here?…) by new parents around the world. While parenting comes from experience, there are plenty of resources to help you feel prepared for parenthood!

New parents often ask: how do you get over the anxiety and get the hang of caring of a baby that isn’t even here yet? That’s a great question! First, you can (and should) take advantage of parenting classes offered by your hospital, such as baby basics, infant CPR, breastfeeding, etc.

Another great resource is your friends and family for help and advice. Other Moms have experienced the same feelings and questions you are facing now. While some parents are timid about sharing their newborn experiences, most feel obliged to giving tips and ideas as they too were once in your shoes.

You can also find reading material on caring for a newborn online or in print (there are some really good books that can guide you through more than just the first year!).  Many have found various blogs to be useful and honest, and provide the opportunity for parents to connect and relate to other parents around the world.

When your baby arrives, ask for help and accept any help offered to you! And always remember, you are not alone! Parenting can seem intimidating and requires a huge amount of responsibility, however the more you read and talk about it, the better you will feel about becoming a parent!

Postpartum depression is a serious illness, that can last for months after childbirth, miscarriage and stillbirth. Symptoms of postpartum depression include deep sadness, feelings of hopelessness, loss of appetite, sleep problems, extreme fatigue, difficulty to concentrate and even fatal thoughts. You may also find yourself unable to care for your newborn.

Unlike baby blues, which many women experience in the first couple of weeks after childbirth, postpartum depression can last for months. With baby blues, you may have trouble sleeping and feel moody, teary, and overwhelmed, but you will likely have these feelings along with being happy about your baby.

In rare cases, a severe form of depression called postpartum psychosis may develop after childbirth. Symptoms of postpartum psychosis may include strange behavior and hearing things that are not there. A women suffering postpartum psychosis may harm herself or her baby or others and needs immediate treatment.

It’s very important to get treatment for depression. The sooner you get treated, the sooner you’ll feel better and enjoy your baby.

When you think of your pregnancy, or your baby, you don’t commonly consider the changes that your body will endure in the process. Yes, you expect your belly to grow, but once you deliver you also wish for your body back and your baby belly to disappear. After all, you delivered, the baby is no longer inside and therefore your belly should go back to its normal state. Right? Well, not quite…it may take a little while.

Your genes (go ask you Mother about her experience to know what your starting point is!), along with your diet and lifestyle will dictate how your body will act post delivery. There is no magic wand to help you get your flat belly back (be true to yourself, was it really flat before the pregnancy?), and no way around having to exercise. Do so only after your doctor clears you to, after your six weeks postpartum check up.

Stretch marks appear due to stretching of your skin during pregnancy. If you have stretch marks, they are probably purple red in color. They will fade to some degree, but a scar will remain. If you absolutely can not live with these scars, wait for at least one year before you consider surgery. Tanning helps in some cases too.

Your breasts will endure the most dramatic change. During pregnancy you may have noticed that your breasts have increased in size. After delivery they enlarge even more due to your milk coming in. If you are breastfeeding you may also experience nipple pains such as cracking, engorgement of your breasts and leaking. These conditions will stabilize within a month or so. Just be patent and use lanolin or another ointment to relive the pain.

After nine month without experiencing your period, it may take you by surprise that you are bleeding so heavily and for so long after you give birth. Lochia (postpartum bleeding) usually lasts 4-8 weeks. This is normal. Your body is cleaning itself and unless you are passing through large clots of blood, there is no reason to be alarmed. The bleeding will get less intense and the red color will change to a brownish one. During this time use heavy duty pads. Do not use tampons.

Yes, things change after having a baby, your body included. Embrace the changes you approve of or cannot control (like sleepless nights with your baby and new emotions of love), and take action to change the ones you disapprove of (maybe start exercising to get your pre pregnancy shape back).

Developing a relationship with your baby can happen as soon as the moment you find out about your pregnancy. It is possible you may feel a connection, responsibility and love right away to your un-born baby. On the other hand, it could be that it’ll take longer to bond with your baby, even after you hold her in your arms.

Bonding with your baby is individual. Do not panic if you don’t develop an immediate attachment with your baby. It can take a little time to bond. After all, you have undergone a tremendous change in your life, and some of us need a little while longer to adjust to the new situation, to being a parent.

Even after carrying your baby for nine months, it is normal to feel nervous when holding your baby for the first time. You may now be realizing the responsibility that lies in your hands for the first time. You and hubby may have been calling each other Mom and Dad half jokingly, and suddenly the new title is real with the arrival of your little one. As joyful as it is, it could also be a shock and you should give yourself time to snap out of it.

As long as you are taking care of your baby’s basic needs, it is OK if you are not feeling that strong connection right away. Do not beat yourself up, but instead take the time to get to know your baby and develop a relationship. Remember the hormones that accompanied your pregnancy? The mood swings and cravings? Your body is still unbalanced and it will be a little while longer before you are “back to normal”. Bear this in mind before you judge yourself for not bonding immediately with your newborn.

If a few weeks passed and you still don’t feel a connection with your baby, call your doctor and talk about your feelings and concerns, it is possible you are suffering from postpartum depression. If that is the case, the sooner you take care of yourself and get the appropriate professional help, the less it will affect your baby and the relationship you two develop.

Bonding with a baby is very different than developing a relationship with other adults. Daily care-giving, spending time and learning your babies needs will grow with time and help you bond with your child.  This bond will increase as you experience the joy of seeing her first smile, the excitement of watching her learn how to turn and delight of following her new achievements. Soon you will find yourself bragging to friends or family about your baby’s new achievements, at which time you may realize what the connection you share with your baby and how special to you it is. Now that is the joy in being a Mother or Father.

You are a mom. Welcome to the world of joy, challenges, and unexpected criticism. Who would have thought that having kids would result in anyone and everyone sharing their views, experiences and freely passing judgment on your parenting skills and/or approaches? Well, after hearing conflicting advice (sometimes from the same person), endless tactless comments about your size and weight gain during pregnancy, you’d think you’d be immune to people’s comments once the baby arrives..  However, in theory – yes maybe we should be, but reality is a completely different story.

The single friend

Your single, childless friends, may surprise you (with their attitude) as you give birth and start the challenging process of raising & educating your off spring (remember, they do NOT come with a manual). If/when they start passing judgment of your ways, best thing to do is to breath and let go. They have no experience and therefore no idea what you are going through and that what they just said is irrelevant/annoying/not true/just plain stupid/etc. Remember, they really can NOT relate, and have no idea what you are faced with.

The single stranger

You’ll see her in the supermarket staring in disapproval of your crying child, or hear her comment (maybe to your face, more likely under her breath) about your kid’s behavior in a store, or the park. She clearly has no personal experience, but acts like she’s had 5 kids and raised them flawlessly. Let’s see her reaction when a toddler in her care starts screaming in the supermarket for no apparent reason.

The older (stranger) lady

She was a mother to a newborn or toddler so long ago – that she still relates everything back to 1945 and seems to have forgotten things have changed dramatically since then.  She is the one who freely tells you what you are doing wrong and what you should be doing differently. Don’t be intimidated by her expression of experience, you know your child best and therefore you know what is right for him/her.

Your parents/grandparents/in-laws

Well, they now have a new title they should get used to, enjoy, and most importantly, embrace. The parenting is YOUR job, & while you can ask for their advice, you are the parent. They WILL tell you what and how to do things. They will, each in their own way, find fault in your actions, and tell you how you should bath, change, and feed your newborn. As a new Mom, you may need the help, but at the same time you need to bond and find YOUR way. Don’t be afraid to establish boundaries with family members who are clearly over stepping, or becoming insulting with their assumptions about your own parenting skills.  After all they raised you – did you turn out so bad that you need the extra advice?

Here are some tips.  Listen politely; take into account what they are saying before you react. Not everything will be bad advice, but if it starts to feel threatening and if it’s your family you will likely know how to best respond to them.  However, before you do take a moment before you respond and think through what you want to say and how.  If it’s not your family ask your hubby or partner to explain the boundaries – especially if you are just fresh out of the delivery room and haven’t even gotten a chance to start parenting yet.

I returned to work when my baby girl was 10 weeks old. I had gotten myself a Medela In style pump and thought I was ready face the challenges of going back to work while I was still breastfeeding.

Well, after the first day back at work it became clear that it is not THAT EASY! The first week was hard because I missed my baby girl and felt like I was a horrible Mom leaving her alone like that (Daddy was with her, which should have made me better, but still I felt guilty). Between that and other stresses, lack of sleep and adequate nutrition, I suddenly found that I had no milk to pump.

Frustrated and worried, I called a lactation consultant, who recommended Fenugreek supplements. She also suggested I make sure I eat and try to sleep when possible AND when pumping she said in her Australian accent, “and for God sakes, don’t look at the pump. It’s not a contest! Read a magazine or book instead.”

It worked! It really did! After about 10 days I stop taking the Fenugreek capsules and still maintained a high milk supply.

My daughter is now almost 7 months old. And a few weeks ago I had another dry spell. I though this time it was IT – no more milk for good. Then I came to my senses and bought Fenugreek capsules & Organic Mother’s Milk Tea and that same day I started using both – my milk supply went up dramatically! After experiencing two separate episodes of decreased milk supply I’ve learned that these dry spells can happen periodically.  Many of my other friend moms have told me they’ve experienced the same thing.

So, for all you out there, I recommend to NOT PANIC if you find that your milk supply begins to decrease! I would recommend any mother struggling to maintain their milk supply get Fenugreek capsules & Organic Mother’s Milk Tea, and make sure you are eating well and getting plenty of rest!