As I held my newborn for the first time, I couldn’t help but feel all sorts of emotions. I am filled with awe, as I couldn’t believe this human being came from me. At the same time, I have never felt more uncertain as my new life unfolds right before my eyes.

The transition to motherhood is overwhelming, to say the least. The first two months really tested me. Newborns, as angelic as they look, are not for the faint-hearted. I honestly thought I wouldn’t make it alive but look where I am now! I still have a long way to go but it’s amazing to see that I’m already so far from where I used to be.

My baby is now 15 weeks old and I am very proud to say I was able to survive and power through the newborn stage, thanks to the help of these 10 things!

On our first week back home after giving birth, my favorite bamboo bedsheet was instantly stained from a poop explosion. I was in utter disbelief.

Maybe it was because her diaper was a tad too big, or maybe I just didn’t know how to properly put it on. Whatever it was, I could have prevented having stained sheets if only I had a waterproof blanket.

The waterproof blanket saves me from the additional stress of changing sheets and mattress cover from time to time!

Wireless earphones serve two important things: unwinding and canceling baby noise.

Newborns cluster feed, so I had no choice but to be awake. As soon as I settle my baby down to nurse or sleep, I grab my AirPods and enjoy watching a series of my choice. This way, I don’t disturb and overstimulate my baby as I relax and unwind.

Also, since newborns primarily communicate through crying, it’s easy for me to feel frustrated when I’m sleep-deprived and my baby just won’t stop crying.

Hearing this for hours could drive a first-time mom like me crazy, so feel-good music on full blast while I shush and swing my baby to sleep saves the day. It makes the situation a whole lot more bearable as well.

A nursing pillow provides me with the right support to make breastfeeding more comfortable. I personally love that it gives me the option to do hands-free feeding as it allows me to multitask. I have become an expert at eating a full meal while my newborn chomps on my breast! 

It’s pretty versatile too. I use it to prop my baby during supervised tummy time and it has helped tremendously. 

Our body uses 25% of its energy to produce milk, that’s why breastfeeding is physically demanding and exhausting!

Since I decided to breastfeed, I need extra calories to provide me energy and ensure that my breast milk contains the nutrients vital for my baby’s growth and development. I also need enough fluids to support milk production, as our body uses water to produce breast milk. 

A healthy and balanced diet also helps in postpartum recovery, so I make sure to take my supplements, eat protein and greens, and drink a lot of water.

The transition to motherhood can be extremely isolating and draining. Everyone wants to hold the baby, but who holds the mom? New moms like me also need to be held and seen. We need support; we need a village.

Support comes in many forms. For me, it comes in the form of friends visiting to check up on me, family cooking hearty meals, a helper taking the heavy load off, and a stranger giving comforting words as my newborn cries in public.

I am beyond grateful to my single friends for showing up, but let’s be real: no one understands a mom’s situation better than other moms, as only they can relate to the joys, challenges, and experiences of motherhood.

I was fortunate enough to connect with new mom friends (who also gave birth around the same month I did) with whom I could share my concerns, exchange tips, and celebrate milestones during such a significant life transition.

Getting enough sleep during the newborn stage is like wishing for the impossible, but I’d like to believe the word ‘impossible’ is no longer part of a mom’s vocabulary! I was sleepless for the first two months, but lucky me, after the 8th-week growth spurt, I finally started getting a full night’s sleep.

Sleep is essential for postpartum recovery and I find that it helps in improving my mood, so I make sure to snooze whenever I can!

Pregnancy isn’t easy, and don’t even get me started on the pain of childbirth. As a mom, I believe I deserve to take some time off and indulge in things that make me feel good after all that I’ve endured.

Just a few nights ago, I went out with my best friends. It felt nice to have some sense of normalcy. I started feeling like myself again, so now I look forward to resuming doing the things that I enjoyed alone before becoming a mom.

Self-care doesn’t have to be grand all the time. Sometimes, all we need is a leisurely shower to feel human again.

I’m a firm believer that we need to take care of ourselves to do the same for our children. We moms cannot pour from an empty cup! Taking care of myself (and regaining my sense of self) at this time is essential to be the best parent I can be. 

Newborns are unpredictable, so I told myself that patience is key. From unexplained fussiness to sudden cries, from diaper blowouts to irregular sleep patterns, every day brings new challenges that test my patience.

Just like us first-time moms, our babies are also adjusting to this world, so it’s a must for me to be reminded to go easy on my baby.

At the same time, I learned that I need to be patient with myself as I heal. I need to be kind to my body as it carried and gave birth to a new life.

A few weeks after giving birth, I felt pressured to bounce back. I was in a rush to recover, so I cried in frustration. I couldn’t accept that my body looked and felt so fragile. Seeing the battle scars on my stomach filled me with worry. Suddenly, it dawned on me: my body went through so much change and trauma that it’s only natural for it to take time to heal.

Three months later, I’ve realized that everything is temporary. My body has gotten a lot better now. I just need to trust the process.

Motherhood is a tough job. I allowed myself to mourn as I bid goodbye to the life I was so used to living. 

I needed to make peace with a lot of things — the fact that household mess is now inevitable, that my body will take time to heal, that my lifestyle will no longer be the same, that I need to make sacrifices now because I don’t live just for myself anymore, and so much more.

The sooner I accepted these things, the easier it was for me to navigate and embrace this new chapter of my life.

Every baby is built different and no motherhood journey is alike, but one thing’s for sure — it gets better.

Trust me, one day, you’ll wake up wondering where time went by. Babies grow up fast, so my ultimate advice is to savor each day as they are only little once!

To my fellow first-time moms, we got this, momma!