New Mom Mistakes to Avoid

I’m far from a new mom; my oldest is headed towards teenagehood.  However, I haven’t forgotten the troubles I encountered as a new mom.  I also understand that new mom mistakes aren’t completely avoidable.  However, recently when someone told me that she didn’t think any mom could actually be prepared for motherhood, well, as the MomLife Organizer, I have something to say about that.

 

New Mom Problems

Looking back I know that if I had known about certain things, I would have avoided several mistakes.  Some of those things I talked about in 5 Things I Wish I Had Knew Before Becoming a Mom.  

 

I mean, if there weren’t things that would change a new mama’s life and keep progressing forward why would there be so many “What to Expect” books?  And why would they be best sellers? Why would Pinterest pins about what ‘I wish I knew’ and other mama advice be so popular?

 

Moms need help and moms are seeking it.  They are out there falling into a lot of mistakes and confusion, so why not help them?  

The was the biggest problem I had as a new mom was the mantra “you’ll figure it out”.  

“You’re doing ok” was the response to my crying eyes.  “You’re a good mom” told me when I knew I was yelling at my toddler on a regular basis.  

 

I was stressed out – to the max.  

 

New mom mistakes happen, but I think the biggest issue is that instead of coming alongside, moms are left to fend for themselves.  You against yourself, your temptations, your toddler, your enemy. The devil is real ladies, not with horns but with whispering words that cause anger, bitterness and hopelessness in your life.

No mom should be left alone should be a mantra!  Instead of ignoring these moms seeking answers for what to do (on the Internet) we should physically be there.  Talking about our experiences, holding the baby, taking the toddler to the park, doing a load of laundry. It is hard when we are in the midst of it ourselves, we just want answers and relief.  

 

9 New Mom Mistakes to Avoid

In my post, 5 Things I Wish I Knew, I did talk about things to avoid but I wanted to expand on that.  So I asked moms of every stage of motherhood what they’d like to share to help new moms avoid some of the pitfalls of motherhood.  

 

One pitfall I hope moms can avoid is false expectations.  I lived my first years of motherhood trying to keep up with expectations: what the books said (especially about sleeping and eating schedules), what my parents said and their expectations of how’d I’d spend my time as a mom at home, and my own expectations of what motherhood should look like, if I had the ability to do it or not.  Moms are not cookie-cut shapes and children aren’t either. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have priorities! You definitely need to also create goals. But it does mean that you don’t have to live under the weight of those or of what others think of you.

 

Now I know you are waiting to hear from all the other moms so I won’t make you wait any longer.

 

What to Avoid as a New Mother

 

“Not trusting her instincts.  It is so easy to be influenced by everything around us.  But at the end of the day, deep down inside every mom already has strong mom-instincts.  There is no perfect way to parent, and trying to be perfect can cause a lot of anxiety. New momma, just trust your instincts, you got this.”  

Maria from Handful of Thoughts

 

“trying to compare their children to “standards” and other children and compare themselves to the outside world like bloggers and social media families and they seem like “they have it all together” and you dont. It’s just a comparison trap and we need to understand that we have all the tools to be amazing parents and just staying in our lane.”

Blyss from BlyssYourHeart

 

“I believe the number one mistake a new mom could make is not using a white noise machine or a fan during naps! I didn’t know about this trick with my first baby, but I’m doing it with my second and it has REALLY helped! Baby doesn’t wake as easy which means mama gets more sleep! Mama gets more sleep, everybody happy😄”

Izzy from The Art of Mom-ing

 

“The biggest mistake moms make are not asking for help when it comes to caring for their new baby or not effectively communicating their needs to their partner. This can leave them overly exhausted and resentful towards their partner because they start to feel isolated and alone. So my biggest piece of advice for new moms is to ask for help and clearly communicate your needs.”

Annette from Coffee Chaos, Dry Shampoo

 

“As a new mom my biggest mistake was to be over consumed with every micro detail of motherhood.  I wanted everything to go according to what was “expected” instead of enjoying the journey. It wasn’t until my second child was born that I took a step back, reanalyzed, and started to take a different approach.  Here’s the biggest takeaway… every family is different, every motherhood journey is different, so don’t compare your journey to any else’s. Instead, focus on being the best version of yourself for your children.”  

Nataly from LovelyMomhood

 

“One of the biggest mistakes new moms fall into is worrying too much about milestones. There are so many baby apps and articles out there telling moms what their babies should be doing at every stage. As a new mom, I constantly worried that my baby wasn’t up to speed because he wasn’t holding his head up at 4 months or sitting up at 6 months. Turns out all babies are completely different and grow at their own pace. I would advice new moms not to compare their babies to others. They’re all unique and many different factors will affect their development.” 

Adriana from The Munchkin Manual

 

“underestimating the role faith and mindset have in motherhood. Secondly, we’ve been told—you’ll figure it out as you go and so we just let life happen. Third, as new moms we’re overwhelmed with all we’re responsible for that we focus only on the tasks we have to do as a mom. Meanwhile what we really want for ourselves and our families rarely gets any of our time. Lastly, we neglect to do the things we love to do…because who has the time to do that?!! But the truth is—these mistakes don’t have to define us, but rather they can inspire us to learn how we can be better moms.” 

Sonya from Healthy Living Mom

 

“I know that new moms are very nervous and have so many questions and always asking for advice. Stop. Take a breath. Look at your sweet little angel who relies solely on you and trust your momma instincts. No one knows your child and family better than you do. You’ll spend so much time worrying about so many things, when you look again they’ll be grown. Just enjoy every second of your new journey.”

Renicia from Alreadda (writing Services)

 

 

Next Steps

That really wraps it up.  Just enjoy your journey as a new mom!  And if you have problems, reach out.  You are also welcome to take my easy to do training: Roadmap for Moms.

This 7-day email course will guide you simply and briefly through the major areas that moms handle to help you avoid pitfalls and get on the right track for success.