Things to Think About as a New Mom

Beauty, Responsibility, and Intrigue

Being a new mom isn’t easy, but at the same time, there is a natural component to motherhood that you’re going to slide right into. Basically, motherhood is a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, you get to see life itself develop and mature. But life is messy, and unpredictable. So you see the most beautiful things in the world, and some of the least pretty.

Definitely, you want help from mothers and other friends or family members who have gone where you are now. Encyclopedic volumes of knowledge exist on best practices in parenthood; we don’t have time for that here. What we do have time for is a quick look at three of the most important things you want to think about as a new mom.

1. Childcare Needs and Education

When you become a mom, it’s best if you can be there for the first three years of your child’s life. That’s easier said than done, though; sometimes you’ll have legal responsibilities at the DMV, or some social obligation where you can’t bring the baby. You need childcare early on, and that which can even help keep an infant safe if necessary.

Beyond childcare, you’re going to need educational options for your baby as they develop, and not all educational options are created equal. Some are worse for your child than doing nothing, some will give them a clear advantage. You’ll want to research local educational alternatives and choose carefully.

2. Lactation Issues

Clogged milk ducts, mastitis, sore nipples, or lack of breastmilk expression are all impediments to breastfeeding which are quite common. Something else that’s common are latch issues.

It can be difficult to determine if your newborn is latching properly, and if they aren’t, the result could be increased discomfort owing to medical obstacles like clogged milk ducts. If you’re not sure whether or not you’re achieving a proper latch, look to expert consultants like Nest Collaborative, who can give you good information pertaining to signs of a good latch.

3. Financial Realities

Raising a child is expensive. These days, getting them to age 18 in a healthy way is going to cost you between $200k and $300k, or a range of $11k+ to $16k+ a year. That’s $930 to $1,380+ a month.

You need to be prepared. Even so, the good news is, Americans waste about $18k a year on average; so if you can just cut out that non-essential spending, you’re in good shape.

A Lot On You Plate

Being a mom is complex, expensive, sometimes painful, and often confusing. You’ll want childcare solutions, you’ll need to assure your baby is getting a proper latch, and you’ll want to be financially capable throughout your child’s maturation.

None of these things are simple, but if you’re clever enough to plan things out in advance, you’ll save yourself quite a bit of trouble.