Getting Started with motherhood.

If you are a mother or thinking about being one, motherhood is fun! The fun part is bringing someone into this world that will mean everything to you. Being mothers ourselves here at MotherhoodHQ, we can tell you having a baby is pure bliss and can also be overwhelming and exhausting. There is the ‘no-so-fun’ part of being a mother or a parent. 

There is a quote, ‘90% of parenting is thinking about when you can lie down again or when you can take the next break’. Seriously, it’s that hard! Despite the 90% statistics, you are not alone in thinking or being part of this journey. More than 3.6 million babies are delivered in the US annually and we have dedicated this site to celebrating all mothers and sharing all the cool tips, inspirations, and guides that can make your day less tiresome. 

If you are worried about whether you are being a good parent, you are in the majority category. One report revealed that parents spend an incredible 37 hours a week worrying about their children. In addition, 59% reported worrying so much to the level of losing sleep. If those are the stats, you shouldn’t worry too much about parenting. 

Parents have found some comfort by reading and getting knowledgeable about various things that may drive them crazy. Read some helpful parenting books and if it helps, speak to your partner, friends, or counselor about it. We have prepared a short guide on effective parenting here. 

Preparing For Baby

To help prepare for the arrival of your baby, it is important to know that you will spend a good amount of taking care of your newborn with not a lot of time to do other things. They basically set the schedule for you. It is therefore important to ensure you do the following prior to delivery;

Prep Tips:

Get Essential Baby Products

Get all the baby gear your baby will need

As you think about the baby products to get, we highly recommend being a minimalist. Do not overbuy products you may not end up using. Some of the products may need to be assembled before you get home from the hospital with the baby and may need to get them a week or so before your baby arrives.

The most important is a car seat that you should properly install and sleep gear – either a bassinet, Moses basket, or a crib. If you need other items such as changing table or an infant swing, you may want to assemble those beforehand, as well. 

Read more about safety baby gear you can get including the process of babyproofing. 

Monitoring Your Baby 

If you are like most mothers that want to hear the baby’s heartbeat just to make sure everything is alright, you can get a fetal doppler. WebMD recommends that you use it from your second trimester (weeks 13 to 28 of pregnancy). 

Pick a name for your baby

You may find it easy deciding your baby’s name but it can be a difficult task. Considering your baby will be stuck with that name for his/her entire lifetime, you may want to give it time to research it. There is interesting research on baby names and there are data indicating that baby names may influence your baby’s promotion, entry into college, and even earnings. We have a helpful guide and tips on picking baby names. 

Have a baby showers