Becoming A First Time Parent: What You Need To Know

Collaborative post by another author. If you're about to become a parent for the first time, you are about to start a big journey that will change your life. It's likely you will have a lot of questions regarding this journey, and you may even have doubts. Everyone goes through the same thing, so resources will be available and there are people you can speak too. This article will go over some relevant points, so let's get started.

Canva stock image for a new baby showing a babies feet in a woman's hands


Get As Much Sleep As You Can

Something that a lot of people will tell you about being a parent is that you may struggle to sleep as much as you used to. That's because one of your main goals will be to ensure your baby is getting enough sleep. Newborn babies may sleep up to 16-20 hours a day through various sleeping cycles, but they will normally wake up regularly rather than sleep for hours at a time. 

You should try to catch some sleep as often as you can, perhaps take turns with your partner to manage who will sleep and watch the baby. You could always ask for help from your family or friends if you just want an extra hour or two for sleep.

If you fall behind on your sleep, then you will more tired throughout the day. The more tired you are the harder you will find it to manage this transition period to being a parent. Everything seems harder when you are tired.

There is no harm in asking for harm when you need it, either because you need more sleep or you just need an extra hand. There will be specialised services you can contact if you need specific help too, don't feel embarrassed to ask. 

Prepare Yourself For Any Birth Issues

If you or your partner haven't yet given birth one of your many worries will probably be about your unborn baby's health. You may be worried about birth defects or issues that arise once the baby is born. Try and accept that worrying about it wont help. The best thing you can do is ensure you follow the advice around safe pregnancies, such as avoiding smoking and alcohol and go for regular check-ups with your doctor and midwife. 

Very occasionally there are issues when a baby is born with that was completely out of your hands. For example, 1 in 400 children born in the UK are diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. This condition severely affects an individual's movement and can cause issues with development going forward. This issue will require special care for the rest of their life. You may not know that something like this could have been caused due to a mistake made by a doctor or anyone within the healthcare industry. 

If the worst happens when having your baby, you should consider contacting a solicitor specialising in medical negligence cases. If you suspect a hospital has caused Cerebral Palsy, then you should contact experts such as Gadsby Wicks, who can be contacted via gadsbywicks.co.uk. This will help you ensure that the person responsible for the birth injury is held accountable. Not only this, but it will help ensure that you and your family receive financial support. This support can help you with supporting your child with medical equipment, as well as other things.

Share The Load With Your Partner

When you're becoming a parent for the first time, it's important that you don't take on all responsibilities alone. Whether you are the mother or father, you should ensure you both take on responsibilities so that the other isn't overburdened. If one of you is doing too much, then you may end up resenting each other and harming the relationship.

A big part of this will involve you both taking care of each other. Parenting is a journey, and if you manage to look after each other, then the journey will be easier and more fun. Take time out of your journey together to do fun stuff. This could be going for dinner or going on any type of date, it will benefit the both of you.

Of course, there will be places that you can go with your baby for fun times. Even going for a walk can give you a much-needed break from home. Other classic places you can go include swimming, classes and the park.

Do Things That Make You Happy

When it comes to you personally, you should be trying to do things that make you happy. If you avoid engaging in your hobbies and the activities you enjoy, then this could impact your quality of life and even your mental health.

Consider the things that you used to do that brought happiness to your life. This could even have been something you enjoyed as a child, such as video games. Even if it's something that you haven't done for a long time, you should try it out and see how you get on.

While striving to have fun is important, it is important to remember that you should take time to relax. This will give you the chance to recharge your batteries and allow you to start the next day more comfortably. Your journey on parenthood will be better for this.

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