I have something to confess. I got pregnant with my daughter and had her when I was only 17 years old. That’s right, I was a brand new mommy at the young age of 17 and trust me…I didn’t know anything about taking care of a new baby!
Lucky for me…I had a fantastic Labor & Delivery Nurse and a wonderful Post-Delivery Nurse when I was in the hospital. I had a complicated birth and stayed an entire week in there after delivering my daughter. These two nurses spent a lot of time teaching me the things that I needed to know, and offering me practical advice and encouragement.
Here are just a few of the many tips that those two nurses taught me:
1. Every baby is different! They all have their own sleep routines, fussy periods, feeding times, etc. Don’t compare your baby with other children or previous babies that you had. They are all unique individuals.
2. When people offer to help you after the baby comes home…take them up on that offer! While you can certainly do it on your own, it’s a lot easier & less stressful when you have some help.
3. Babies can get fussy for a wide variety of reasons. They cry when their hungry, have a soiled diaper, have a belly ache, when they don’t feel well, etc. All babies cry and that has nothing to do with your parenting skills. Some babies are more fussy than others.
4. You will go through a lot of different emotions and mood swings now that the baby is here. It’s completely normal to experience highs and lows. However, if you feel that you are over-whelmed and depressed, ask for some help from a family member or professional.
5. You don’t need the BEST of everything for your baby! You need to provide the basic essentials, but don’t stress yourself out if you don’t have the best of everything! Your baby just needs your love, attention and care.
6. You will make mistakes along the way! There is no such thing as a perfect parent.
7. When you have questions or need help, don’t be afraid to contact your physician or nurse. It’s their job to answer questions and help when needed. They don’t look at you as being a pest or bothering them. They know and they expect new parents to call them 24/7 when they need something!
To help recognize all of the fabulous Labor & Delivery Nurses, Pampers Swaddlers has released its Thank You Nurses Campaign. It’s a program that celebrates the vital role that nurses play during those first few minutes, hours and days between a newborn baby and their parents. The campaign honors nurses who go above & beyond to make life better for the babies & parents.
The first annual Thank You Nurses campaign, in partnership with the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN), honors nurses across three award categories: Labor & delivery, NICU and Postpartum. Three nominated finalists were selected and are being honored with short documentary videos showcasing their unique and inspirational nursing stories. You can check out those videos HERE.
Labor & Delivery Nurse, Anne Gallagher, was selected as the #ThankYouNurses Grand Prize Winner! Congratulations Anne! She is a nurse at the University of Illinois Hospital and focuses on empowering new & experienced moms to form a special bond with their newborn baby. I’m sure those mothers will remember Anne for a lifetime!
You can check out the Pampers Swaddlers #ThankYouNurses Grand Prize Winner (Anne Gallagher’s) Video HERE to see what made this nurse so special & why she was the grand prize winner! What a fantastic story and what an incredible nurse!
Nurses help new moms learn how to care for their newborns and encourage healthy development right from the start. Because of their trust in nurses, new moms can be rest assured that everything is taken care of. Parents will always remember their baby’s first cry, first cuddle, first hiccup, first diaper, and they’ll always remember the nurse that helped them transition into parenthood. At least for me, I’ll never forget those two nurses who helped me!
Parents trust their nurses to teach them how to give babies the best start in life. Nurses trust the softness and protection of Pampers Swaddlers. As the #1 choice for hospitals in the United States and the first diaper worn by millions of babies, Pampers Swaddlers helps give babies the best start in life.
Twitter Party Invite: The Pampers #ThankYouNurses Twitter Party, hosted by iConnect will take place on Wednesday May 11th, 2016 from 8-9pm CST. RSVP link: http://bit.ly/24gcaIN Prizes will include AMEX Gift Cards, Pampers Diapers, Humidifier, Video Baby Monitor and more! Lot’s of great prizes to win! I hope you can join us! Mark your calendar now!
Now that I shared some information with you about the #Pampers ThankYouNurses Campaign and some of the tips that were shared with me by two very special Labor & Delivery Nurses, I would love to hear some newborn baby tips from all of you! Please leave your comments & tips in my blog’s comment form below.
Disclosure: “This review was made possible by iConnect and Pampers. I was provided compensation to facilitate this post, but all opinions stated are 100% mine.”
I am grateful for all the doctors,nurses and people who helped me. Luckily I did not have a difficult birth, but My first son was colicky for 6 months, and that was very worrisome.
I really wish I could say I had a positive expereince with the L&D nurses. I had 30 hours of unmedicated back labor – no epidural – just Lamaze. It was awful, but I was very quiet and concentrated on my breathing. The nurse said, “Why aren’t you yelling?” Right. When I was pushing, and the baby was crowning, the nurse said “Look at those hemmorrhoids!”.. Post-partum, any questions I had were answered with “You don’t know how to take take care of a baby?” I would like to thank Pampers, and all the wonderful nurses out there, who have helped so many. Sadly, I was not one of them.