The Best Advice for a Mom-to-Be (from other Moms)

The best advice for a Mom-to-Be can only really come from one type of a person…Yep, you guessed it. Another Mom.

I’m a big believer in other Moms being a Mama’s best resource. Maybe even our secret weapon.

They have been there. They’ve done that. They’ve walked the walk. No one can offer you tips, tricks, dos & don’ts quite like another Mother. I think the best advice for a Mom-to-Be comes straight from her peers.

When I was expecting my first, I asked my Mom friends who were a little ahead of me on the Mom train for advice all the time. Advice on the little things like the best bottles and advice on the big things like…duh nuh nuh…crying it out. And sometimes I listened & did exactly what they said while other times I ignored them completely & just did my own thing. But either way, I always asked for their advice because it was helpful for me to hear the different perspectives.

Then when I was pregnant with my second, I asked my mom friends with 2+ kids for advice. Because 2 or more is a whole different ballgame. And I’d never played in that game before. I was sitting on the bench and being able to watch them & listen to them gave me all the training I needed (well, maybe not allll).

No, other Moms don’t know it all. But they do know a lot. I’m a Mom now. I know some stuff. I’ve trialed-and-errored things & love sharing what worked & didn’t work for us. Other Moms feel the same way.

My sister is pregnant with her first child. I’m so excited for her that I can hardly think straight. I’m excited because I know.

I know what’s in store for her. I know how incredible becoming a Mother is. And I know how sweet the love of your child is.

I want to give her the best advice for a Mom-to-Be.

So I did what I’ve always done—I asked my Mom friends. Only now, I have thousands of Mom friends I can ask (thanks to @cmon.mama). So what did I do? I polled thousands of Mamas around the world to compile a list of the best advice for a Mom-to-Be. For YOU.

And they had a lot to say.

This is the first part in the “Best Advice for Moms” series. My favorite thing about this series is that it’s totally “For Moms by Moms.” It’s not my advice, it’s yours.

This is Part 1: Best Advice for a Mom-to-Be.

After this check out Part 2: Best Advice for a New Mom & Part 3: Best Advice for a Breastfeeding Mom.

My personal advice for a Mom-to-Be is to go with what you feel. Talk to your mom or your sister or other awesome women in your life. Quiz them. Read some articles. Do your homework. And then DO YOU.

Well, that and also this—you can go into labor early. That’s my other advice. No one told me that. Everyone talks about you being late, especially with your first. I was a week early with my first & 2 weeks early with my second. I cried when I went into labor with my son because I thought I had another week to get ready. Then I cried when I went into labor with my second because I was prepared to have her a week early & she came 2 weeks early. Those hormones/emotions are no joke.

Now, without further adieu, I give you some pretty perfect advice for a Mom-to-Be…straight from your fellow Mamas.

In no particular order:

If you’re tired, rest. You’re literally growing a person inside of you. You have done enough for the day. Seriously. Think about that.

When you’re pregnant, eat small meals throughout day. It helps stave off some morning sickness.

Take more pregnancy pictures! You might not always feel beautiful when you’re bumping, but you are. And you will wish you had more evidence of that later!

Give yourself permission to rest when you need to & leave projects uncompleted. I felt a huge need to finish every detail of my daughter’s decor before she arrived and she didn’t notice a single thing besides being close to me!

Take your prenatals.

Do a maternity shoot! In a beautiful lace dress. Look like a fertile goddess even when you might feel like a troll.

Listen to your body. It will tell you exactly what it needs, which is exactly what you need.

A wonderful doula can be your best friend.

Paint your nails (or better yet, get SNS!) a few days before you’re due.

Don’t get caught up in a birth plan. If ever there’s a time the whole “things don’t go according to plan” is fitting…it’s in childbirth.

Pack your hospital bag. It will take one worry off your mind knowing you have those things ready.

Get one nice pair of maternity jeans.

With my first child, I was not active while pregnant but with my second I was extremely active. Stay as active as safely as possible! Even if you just go on a walk. That counts. It made me feel better because those hormone changes can be nuts.

My advice is to learn—as much as you can—about your baby before they come. Take a prenatal class, go to a breastfeeding seminar, learn about infant sleep…truly try to soak up as much as you can. As a new parent of 3 days, all I can say is I’m glad I did my homework! It made everything from pregnancy, to labor, to delivery, to postpartum with babe so so so much easier. My partner and I felt empowered to make informed decisions for our family & we feel confident in our new roles of mom & dad. Take the class, read the book, watch YouTube, listen to the podcast…take what works for you, leave the rest. Trust yourself. It will be okay.

If you can, freeze about 2-3 months worth of meals for after giving birth so you don’t even have to think about dinner or what to cook or eat.

When your water breaks it’s not like in the movies.

• TRUTH. My water broke with both of mine & it was most def not a waterfall.

If you know you’ll be going back to work after maternity leave, start applying to preschools now. Yes, really.

Walking really does help with your delivery. So walk as much as possible. Also, yoga. For the physical and mental.

Take so many bump pics! You’ll love to look back on them later, no matter if you currently feel insecure or bigger than usual.

Take videos of them kicking when that time comes! It’s amazing to look back on later (& show them!).

Print out your labor plan and talk to your partner about it. And then know that you may have the exact opposite birth you envisioned. But once you have your baby in your arms, you won’t care.

• For the record, I had an epidural with my first & planned to have one with my second. Actually, I thought I did have one but it felt so different…turns out the epidural needle had fallen out immediately & I had a totally natural birth. Things can get a little nuts during labor. Roll with it. That’s really all you can do. It’ll be worth it. Promise.

Being pregnant can be hard. You get ready for it to be over. And then you miss it. Being a woman is weird.

I took the classes, read all the posts & books, talked to all my mom friends, you name it. And I’m soooo glad I did! I felt like I at least had a little idea of what was coming at me.

Take everything you can from the hospital after you give birth! Especially those cold snap packs and extra mesh undies. And the pads. You can thank me later.

Have a drink. I promise you can. One drink every now & again later on in your pregnancy is okay. Check with your OB/GYN and you’ll see I’m right.

Find a pediatrician you love. If you have to meet with a few to find the right fit, so be it. They’ll be taking care of your baby for years. In other words, they matter.

Share your pregnancy with your partner. The beautiful things, the hard things, the silly/crazy things. Sometimes even the gross-ish things. Take them along for the ride. You don’t have to be on the rollercoaster by yourself.

My advice is ENJOY YOUR PREGNANCY. It is really such a magical time in your life. Having your baby in your arms is beyond wonderful but there is just something about having them safe in your belly, feeling those kicks, knowing they’re in there growing & hearing the inner workings of your body. They are allll yours for 9 months & then all of a sudden you have to share them with the world.

Now that you’ve gotten great advice for a Mom-to-Be from other Mamas out there, I want you to do 3 things—

1. Go read my personal advice for Moms-to-Be. You’ll thank me later (I hope!). You can find it here: 10 Things to do BEFORE the Baby Comes (Pre-Baby Bucket List)

2. Now go read Parts 2 & 3 in this series: Best Advice for a New Mom (because that’s about to be YOU, Mama! And a lot of it applies to you now.) & Best Advice for a Breastfeeding Mom.

3. And then hop over to my holy grail New Mom article: 14 Things Every New Mom Should get Herself. You need the things on this list. Trust me.

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What’s YOUR best advice for a Mom-to-Be?

 

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