10 Things New Moms Google
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Now that we all have the internet in our pocket thanks to our smartphones, it’s so easy to look for answers to literally any question. I don’t know if this has ever been more useful than since I became a mom. I thought I remembered what I searched for when my baby was a newborn but I wanted to be sure. So I went back to dig through my search history from the first month after my baby was born and man, oh man! First, I just want to go back in time and give myself a hug – just reading through these searches makes my heart ache. How quickly the memories of those late nights with a newborn fade. Nostalgia out of the way, I gathered up the most useful to share with you for this list of 10 things new moms Google:
Cluster feeding & painful latches
Our little Peanut nursed right away, though my milk hadn’t come in yet. Our first experience with nursing was good, but within a day or so, she was nursing constantly and I didn’t know what to think about it! I searched cluster feeding to try and determine if what was happening was normal. My advice here is two-fold. First – most sources like KellyMom and La Leche League say if you are breastfeeding, you should offer the breast whenever baby shows hunger signs and let them eat until they are finished. So yeah, it does end up being a long time and a lot of feedings! It’s okay. Second – schedule a visit with a lactation consultant. DO IT. I struggled through a week of painfully bad latches with my baby and seeing the lactation consultant was literally life changing. Don’t wait.
How to burp a newborn
When it comes to burping a newborn, as it turns out, well, I had never burped a baby in my life! I certainly had seen other people do it, but when it came down to it, I wasn’t sure if what I observed or remembered was the right thing. We prefer to burp our girl by holding her sitting up with one hand so we can pat her back with the other, as opposed to the traditional over the shoulder method. Here are some tips and info on burping from Parents.com. Plus, check out this great diagram from the Art of Manliness, of all places:
Postpartum back pain and body aches
I wrote about this briefly in my post on postpartum recovery, but looking back on my searches, I was really hurting! In addition to the soreness in my muscles from actual labor, as I continued nursing, I developed serious back pain. What I know now is that you have to take good care of yourself: lay down when you can, use good posture when you sit, get a heating pad, and eat often and well. All of these helped my back pain and body aches and I only wish I’d realized it earlier.
When should my baby have play dates?
Luckily for me, I had two friends who had babies just a couple weeks before our girl was born. We were anxious to have our babies meet, but I was concerned – we are so careful about who and how when it comes to meeting our babies, so how do you navigate babies meeting babies? I had a tough time finding good information on this. Of course your newborn doesn’t need playdates, but as their mama, you might! We had our first baby visitor when she was a week old. We came to the conclusion that a healthy baby was probably less of a germ/sickness risk than a kid or adult. This is also a good question to ask your pediatrician if you are worried.
Diaper Rash
Wait, so what does diaper rash really look like? Is this it? Who knew you would be scrolling through photos of other babies behinds on the internet to decide if it’s diaper rash or something worse? Nothing wrong with that! I’m glad I’m not the only one – this is definitely one of the 10 things new moms google. Look at some photos, slather on some diaper cream or balm (see my favorite here) and keep on going, mama.
How early does baby roll over?
This is a toughie. Maybe it should be #1 on the list of 10 things new moms Google, because I know I’m not alone in wondering. Our peanut liked to sleep on her side even when she was itty bitty. I was worried that she would keep going and end up on her belly. That was terrifying – would we have to stop swaddling her at 3 weeks old? As we found out, our fears were unfounded. But we did have to switch to a better swaddle which helped her to sleep soundly and safely on her back until almost 5 months. Check out these resources about rolling, and remember the ABC’s of safe sleep: Alone on my Back in my Crib – you can see more resources about safe sleep by clicking the image below.
Do I need to wake up my newborn to feed?
Anyone with a newborn likely has a shudder of fear when considering waking up their sweet baby. Whether your baby sleeps a lot or a little, you may be hesitant to wake them from their slumber. While there is a lot of information out there – this is truly a question for your pediatrician. This is very baby-specific. Some babies are okay to sleep through a feeding, some are not. Call your pediatrician (or even a 24-hour nurse line through your health insurance if available) and ask away. They are there to help you help your baby.
Hiccups
While hiccups are just a mild annoyance for us grownups, they can be painful to watch in our little ones. Like lots of other moms, I googled to see if hiccups were hurting my baby – I didn’t think so but I wanted to be sure. As a seasoned mama can probably tell you – hiccups are nothing to worry about. Just wait them out or in our case, make a game of imitating your babies hiccups to them.
When can you start using a baby carrier
There are so many things that could have made my list of 10 things new moms google but this one made this list because it gives you freedom. Luckily there is quite a bit of information on using a baby carrier out there. Depending on the type of carrier, you may be able to start using it right away. I know in my case I didn’t end up with a sling or wrap style carrier at the beginning, so our first foray into babywearing was when she was about a month a half old. I ended up getting a sling shortly thereafter (I have a used Hip Baby Wrap) and we use it ALL. THE. TIME.
Best time for newborn photography
First, let me just say there is no bad time to photograph a newborn. If my camera roll is any indicator, you can photograph your baby any time you please. However, if you are wanting to capture that sweet squishy newborn look, you probably want to do so around the two week mark. My personal recommendation is to find someone who will come to you (like my friend Lauren!) and just stay comfortable! Enjoy those sweet baby nuzzles and cozy clothes.
Have you googled any of these? Were there other things you had to know with your newborn? We we pretty prepared (we thought) with all of our pre-baby reading, but there are just some things you don’t know until you know. Do you have any priceless newborn knowledge to pass along? Leave a comment below – I’d love to hear from you.
