10/16/2012
Ask A Mama! Jaime Markham's Top 5 Tips for First-Time Parents
Prior to the birth of their bambino, Bill and Giuliana Rancic turned to Ask a Mama founder Jaime Markham for the wisdom and tools to navigate first-time parenthood. "I could tell that they are a strong couple," Markham told myStyle of her experience with G&B. "I love that they use humor. I think that's an important thing: you have to find humor in stressful situations because, as a new parents, there are a lot of them!" She added: "I told Bill that I believe Giuliana will surprise him. A lot of new moms doubt their instincts and choices, but I don't think they need to. Every woman has the motherly instinct within her."
Here are Markham's Top 5 tips for new parents:
Trust your instincts. You're going to get a lot of advice from everyone. I tell all my new moms, above all, trust your own instincts. Your mother will give you advice; your friends will give you advice; strangers on the street will give you advice. From the moment people know you're thinking of having children, you're going to get all kinds of advice. Take in the good, but filter out a lot of it and trust your own instincts.
Lean on your support system. It's important to accept help from your partner as well as close friends and family. The first six months to a year are very intense for first-time parents. For example, you're losing a lot of sleep. It's a really wonderful, beautiful time, but it also can be intense and really stressful, so you want to make sure you surround yourself with a good group who can help you out that first year.
Don't overextend yourself. We tend to fill our lives with a lot of obligations that we think are important. Once you have a child, everything comes into perspective and you will find that you don't have as much time to say "yes" to everyone for everything. Use your time wisely. Make sure you're spending time with your baby and your partner, and that you're enjoying those moments. Try to enjoy that time you have in the very beginning with your child.
Sleep when the baby sleeps. That's what everyone says, but it's a big one! You want to get your rest because babies wake every 2-3 hours to feed. You want to make sure you're resting, getting the sleep that you need, eating right and still finding time for exercise. Parents need to take care of themselves.
Take time for yourself as couple. Don't forget to nurture your own relationship while nurturing your baby. You have to still find time for each other.
* Markham teaches group and private instant care classes in Los Angeles, but also does Skype and phone sessions nationwide. Visit her website for more info.
