Navigating The First 100 Days As A New Mom

Yesterday my sweet twin girls turned 3. THREE! I have no idea how that happened. Birthdays always have this way of making me incredibly nostalgic. As I watched my girls open their presents yesterday, chatting away with each other, I remember those first days with them so vividly, when they were just four pounds and dependent upon me for EVERYTHING.

The first thing that always comes to mind when I think about the newborn days is the constant stage of tunnel vision. It happened when I had my first, it happened after I had my twins, and it happened after I had my fourth. After spending nine months waddling around, it finally felt kind of normal being pregnant, and then all of a sudden I gave birth, and my world was ROCKED. In the most incredible kind of way, but also in the most confusing and exhausting kind of way.

The thing is, no one really TELLS you about those first 100 days, you know what I mean? Well, maybe they try. Maybe they say things like, “Oh, just wait until you have a newborn…” or “Enjoy your sleep because you won’t be getting any after the baby comes!” But if you’re anything like me, you just nodded and kind of let it go in one ear and out the other, because surely your experience wasn’t going to be just like theirs.

Then I found myself at home and gearing up for my first night without help and I was like, “WHY didn’t anyone tell me my emotions were going to be all over the place and I’d cry at the drop of a hat?! Why didn’t anyone tell me that my body was going to feel THIS tired?! Wait, maybe I’m the only one! Is this normal? Or am I going crazy and not cut out for being a mom?”

And those same thoughts circled my head day after day, and I wondered if I was ever going to feel “normal” again.

To any of you NEW moms out there reading this, I have ONE very important thing to tell you: What you are feeling right now is OKAY. The good moments, the scary moments, the exhausted moments, it’s all okay. And NORMAL! You have been chosen to be the mom to that sweet little baby in your arms for reasons that would blow you away if you knew them all. YOU are exactly what they need. So listen to your instincts and love them like crazy, because no one can do it just like you!

I can’t take all the credit for these thoughts. Babies ‘R Us reached out to me, asking me to share tips with first time moms. I have to say, I was incredibly honored and impressed, because they really seem to understand that at the heart of the newborn stage, are moms who just need encouragement to know that it’s possible not only to survive, but to THRIVE and fall in love with the journey.

I still remember when I was pregnant for the first time and went to register at Babies ‘R Us. I was a little overwhelmed at all the choices and selections they had. Now looking back, I have to say, the fact that they have anything and everything a mom could ever dream of needing shows how they understand that each mom is going to do things differently and that’s a BEAUTIFUL thing!

To help me encourage moms to do it THEIR way, they are giving away a prize pack to Babies ‘R Us with a $50 gift card, Dreft Pen, Pampers Wipes, and a Melissa & Doug Brenna Plush Bunny in honor of Easter!

I’m so excited for Easter with my kids this year. They’ve already been playing with the plastic eggs (hiding them ALLLL over the house) and I’m super excited to find their Easter outfits!

Babies ‘R Us has some great sales going on with their Koala Baby & Koala Kids line this month so I’ll be heading over to check that out! I might even go on March 19th from 11am – noon when they have “Baby’s First Easter” even going on! You can find your local Babies ‘R Us, and go to! Bring your little ones dressed up in their cute little Easter outfits and enjoy some activities, giveaways, and photo-ops! You can go here to find out more info: www.babiesrus.com/events

You can fine more tips and tricks for the first 100 days here: https://www.pinterest.com/babiesrus/baby-milestones/

They also have the following Pampers items on sale this month. I’ve been using these wipes and they’re awesome.

$8 off Pampers Value Box (offer valid 3/1-3/31)

2 FOR $12 PAMPERS 3X WIPES REG 7.39 (offer valid 3/1-3/31)

Enter here for your chance to win the prize pack which includes a $50 gift card to Babies ‘R Us! You must have a U.S. shipping address. The giveaway will run through Friday, March 18th and I’ll announce the winner by updating this post on Saturday morning!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

XOXO,

Amber

P.S. For more reflections on parenthood and life, follow us on Facebook (Hun Let’s Run) and on Instagram: @ambermariekuiper and @jakekuiper! We’d also love for you to subscribe to our Hun, Let’s Run Podcast! For more info about joining our fitness community as a customer or coach, please email us at amber@mommysmetime.com!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Babies “R” Us/P&G/Pampers. The opinions and text are all mine.