Dear Sharon
First of all, take it easy. You're a new mum, no one expects you
to be super mum, super wife or domestic goddess! It's a tough job and with all
jobs you need to take your time to learn the ropes! Take time to bond with your
little person, enjoy the early days as much as you can. Work out your own
methods and best ways of doing things and try to dodge all the conflicting
advice that you will get hit with from the minute baby is born. Feel your way and
trust your instincts!
Don't feel bad if breast feeding doesn't work. Always give it a
try but if you feel it's making things difficult and causing you unhappiness
then that's only going to transmit to the baby. Breast is undoubtedly meant to
be best but what's best for some isn't best for all and formula is NOT the
devils work! It's been around for mothers’ for decades and it does the job!
Don't give yourself a big guilt trip if you bottle feed, if you’re happy, baby
will be happy.
Nappy changing a newborn is hard
enough but when you’re told by the hospital that for 6 weeks you should only clean
your babies bottom with water and cotton wool and you mustn’t use baby bath to
bathe baby it just makes things that much more fiddly. Filling up little bowls of
water, pulling off big wodges of cotton wool – it’s all done for the best
possible reason – to protect your baby’s skin but recent research from The
University of Manchester suggests that it’s not necessary to stick to this
regime. An independent clinical trial recently found that JOHNSON’S Baby Extra
Sensitive Wipes and Top-to-Toe Bath are just as safe as using cotton wool and
water. Current advice from midwives and health visitors is to just use water
but us mums need something more convenient and effective. If you want to get
out and about with your baby, cleaning them up with water and cotton wool in
the shopping centre baby change area is not exactly easy! It’s so great that us
mums can now clean our babies with no guilt.*
Don't always rely on supposed 'Parenting Experts'! Don't buy every
book on Amazon that promises you sleep or guarantees a fully weaned baby by 1
year. Babies are all individuals too, they will have their own rhythm and you
can influence it to a certain extent but don’t worry if your baby isn't doing
the same as what the latest expert’s book says! Be an ‘expert’ about your own
children and don’t worry if your baby doesn’t follow the ‘norm’.
Don’t feel bad about using a
dummy! If a dummy works for your baby and helps to settle them then use it (don’t
get too cross though when you have to get out of bed a few times a night to
replace it!) and ignore other people’s comments and remarks. Why make your baby
unhappy for trying to conform to other peoples opinion. If the dummy provides a
bit of comfort that your baby needs (especially when teething) then pop it in.
Most of all stress less and enjoy
your baby more, have the courage of your convictions, trust your instincts, as
after all, mums know best!
Love
Me
* I really do wish clinical proof about the safety of using wipes on
babies had been around when I had Isla. When you leave hospital with your
newborn, you really do want to do the best you can for them and you feel you
need to protect them in every way. So you persevere with the water and cotton
wool and it’s just one more thing that can make your day that bit more
complicated. It’s really not easy going out and about with a baby as it is and
changing them on the move can be fraught with pitfalls – remember those poos
that go all up the back, wipes are perfect for those! So I’m glad that mums can now
confidently make a choice when it comes to cleansing their newborn baby, right
from the very first day.
The independent trial conducted with over 500 mums found JOHNSON’S® Baby Extra
Sensitive Wipes and Top-To-Toe® Bath to be just as safe as using cotton wool
and water or just water to cleanse delicate newborn skin. Keeping baby’s skin
clean and hydrated is important for their general well being and happiness.
Endorsed by
family health expert and mum of two young children, Dr Ellie Cannon says: “I
know from experience there isn’t a mum out there that doesn’t worry about every
action they take when it comes to their babies. There are plenty of occasions
when there’s a mental tug of war over whether to follow professional advice or
to trust your instincts and make a decision that just feels right for you,
regardless of professional opinion. The findings of this clinical trial now
give new mums one less decision to worry about, and actually provide them with
reassurance and confidence to make an informed choice that’s safe for their baby
– fantastic!”
To find out more about the campaign, take a look at the following youtube link:
To find out more about the campaign, take a look at the following youtube link:
"I have been asked to work with JOHNSON'S® Baby to write a
"note to self" to coincide with their Mums Know Best campaign which
aims to empower new mums and women in the last stage of pregnancy to trust
their instincts and have confidence in their own convictions, supported by the
groundbreaking new independent evidence proving that JOHNSON'S® Baby Extra
Sensitive Wipes & Top-To-Toe® Bath are as safe to use as water alone on
newborn skin. They have paid me to write this post."
I hated the cotton wool and water - was nigh on impossible with twins!