What I Wish I Did Differently In The Newborn Stage

[@amberlancaster7055]

As a mom of 3 my rule of thumb in the NB stage is ANYTHING GOES, nurse on demand for any reasons baby wants, naps are when ever, where ever and however long baby needs/wants. LOTS of skin to skin and LOTS of baby wearing! We found a rhythm and kept “routines” for certain aspects just to help keep baby from being overtired and over stimulated but other than that is was whatever kept everyone happy! Tummy time is counted when wearing baby holding baby on chest, holding baby in “air plane” etc. FLOOR time during wake windows is a huge life saver it helps baby learn to roll and get wiggles out so they can rest better. Don’t over think it don’t over stress it and yes react to baby not prepare!

[@bratmari]

I wonder how much tummy time really matters. My son was born so strong, like unbelievably. He held his big head up from birth and then he would push off of things and pretty much crawl at one month that way. He crawled officially at 5 months. I didn't realize it was unusual when my niece couldn't crawl until 9 months but I think some babies are born stronger and some are more determined lol. Now my son is 4 and he is so determined and independent naturally. I didn't sway him either way but he did himself. If I could change anything I would not stress myself out for everything, I really suffered from it and didn't sleep for almost 2 yrs. It really affected me, in the end baby will be safe. And I would remind myself that mom guilt is normal and it will be ok. :)

[@AshleyEmbers]

I’ve actually heard both sides since posting this. Some people swear that tummy time helped with neck strength and others actually said tummy time can be bad for your kid! I’m more confused than ever hahaha

[@bratmari]

I'm more natural/organic in my approach. Since I am a stay at home mom I watch my son and see when he's ready to try new things. Like sitting down at a restaurant 😆 now it's enjoyable and until he was 2.5 it was chaotic 🤣

[@bratmari]

Meant to say also it's crazy how they already have their personalities and strengths and weaknesses just like adults, even as babies. There's so many things I never taught my son and he developed that personality trait or whatever on his own.

[@starabby222]

I can totally relate to the not allowing my baby to sleep on my chest thing. Those whole first two months seem like a blur. I remember being so sad that my days weren't structured like they normally were. Some days I wouldn't brush my teeth until 2:00 p.m. I remember being so angry and upset about how I felt my life was chaotic and all over the place, and in order to get some normalcy back, I would feel nap times with old tasks. But my biggest regret is that I didn't just accept the difference of the situation, and embrace my baby girl more. It's true when they say that things will go back to normal, relatively speaking. But I don't know if that's something that you can teach someone else, but rather just learn from experience and seeing really just how fast that time does go by

[@ginaleenerts4430]

Watching this video as my three week old sleeps on my chest lol. I’ve worried about baby napping on me too much, but also it’s so precious so im just gonna try to let the mom guilt go and soak up these moments while I can! 💕

[@AshleyEmbers]

Heck yeah!! 🧡

[@rudegyalbombah]

I barely did tummy time too because my girl absolutely hated it and I wasn't about to torture her. No repercussions either. I read somewhere tummy time was put in place by the AAP once they said babies must always sleep on their backs. I know lots of moms that didn't do it every day and it was always fine. Don't feel too bad about it!

[@nicola6234]

My son hated it too and he was completely fine, just go with the flow :)

[@sajronimakaroni8483]

@@nicola6234 mine hated it too,he was like ok 3 min and it gets him angry. now he is 5 and normaly turns on his own on his tummy and he loves it now. so never forse anything

[@rosamontseny9902]

about the tummy time, since i know you're interested in development and science, i recommend you look up Emmi pikler's research of natural gross motor development, and magda gerber (RIE) which is pikler inspired. there's actually evidence that babies who *aren't* placed in positions by adults reach some milestones faster, for example they will crawl before sitting, they will be more confident in sitting and standing (knowing how to get into and out of the position independently), etc. Either way your baby is going to be fine and you are a great mom - so there's no need to feel guilty! we all do what we think is best and what we are able to do at the time. xx

[@AshleyEmbers]

Woah that’s actually crazy. I’m going to have to look into that!

[@resi9866]

Exactly what I was going to write! Babys don't NEED tummy time. It does not really change anything. If they like it, that's fine but if they don't you don't need to stress it!

[@laurageldart8620]

Absolutely agree on tummy time regrets, and not enough videos! Pictures galore, but barely any videos 😢

[@elliegault]

I definitely feel you on the tummy time! It always slips my mind!!

[@emilybecton7985]

Being induced tomorrow.. perfect timing! :)

[@AshleyEmbers]

Oh wow, seriously perfect 😄. Get those hospital videos!!

[@RCP511]

Me too! Good luck to you!

[@lydiarose249]

"More tummy time" is one I find interesting, especially since you haven't had repercussions. I think you can release the guilt on that one! I'm not going to stress about tummy time at all since babywearing counts as tummy time, and newborns just wanna be held!

[@AshleyEmbers]

I just remember having a lot of guilt over it and I want to make sure I do more with the next kid 😊

[@lydiarose249]

@@AshleyEmbers Mom guilt is real and I'm sorry you felt that way. But I think too much pressure is put on mom's to do everything perfectly! What matters most, I think, is safety, presence, and respect. If we focus on those, no need to feel guilty about all the little things like tummy time. That's how I feel anyway.

[@YOS3liN1]

True babies just want to be held , but I also didn’t do a whole lot of tummy time in the beginning and when my baby boy got around 4 months he didn’t have a good amount of neck strength. I immediately started doing it more often because baby wearing for me always hurt my back and my shoulders would get tired .

[@bbresnan7649]

So thankful for this video! A lot of people do "purchase" regrets, but I love this mindset regrets. We are 29 weeks pregnant and there are so many things that I worry about in the coming weeks. Thank you for the precious advice to just embrace what is, and not worry about what *may* or *may not* be.

[@AshleyEmbers]

🧡

[@Applee10101]

Glad I’m not the only one who forgets tummy time. Just laid my daughter on her tummy for the first time in almost a week and she can all of a sudden hold her whole head up 🥺

[@bronwynharris2980]

I couldn’t agree more about the videos! My baby is almost 8 weeks and already I wish I had more videos of her, she’s already grown so much! ❣️

[@stephanieruddock1386]

Love these! It’s so hard looking back because we know so much more having been through it, but I think most of these are impossible to a avoid as a first time mum. We were learning *everything* for the first time and also with just one, it’s impossible not to obsess over everything! With your second, third, etc. there simply isn’t time or mental capacity to plan and obsess as much, which actually makes things much more enjoyable. I also found with sleep habits that really, anything you try to teach them goes to shit when they hit the 4 month regression, so with my second I just soaked him in and snuggled as much as I wanted and gently taught him to be more independent after the regression (he slept through the night at 8 weeks on his own, but as as you, that doesn’t last). You will find you naturally relax more and enjoy baby number 2!

[@RobertaStonequist]

Watching with a 9 day old NB sleeping on my chest..love the advice ♥️

[@AshleyEmbers]

🧡🧡🧡

[@BabybelAndMummy]

I totally agree with the taking more videos, they grow and change so quickly 😭. We did all of our tummy time on us in the early days as she hated it anywhere else!

[@swaggyswag9786]

You’re always so pretty! Love to you and your family

[@AshleyEmbers]

Wow thank you!

[@danaere95]

Oh my gosh VIDEOS yes!!! I have very few from when my now 5 month old was a newborn and it makes me so sad!!

[@mariahchilitorres6784]

I didn’t stress about the sleep schedule at all and then I panicked when my newborn would only nap 2-4 hours a day it was horrible

[@princesspinkie1661]

Preparation #1: packed bags to take to hospital when I gave birth to make things happy for me. Went to see my doc 2 weeks before due and she said "your heart is racing so we are going to make you give birth." Didn't need bags apparently. Also, waited to buy baby clothes until after baby shower = good idea. I wont have to buy a single outfit until she is 1 year or older (especially if she stays small). Another plus: if your neighbor is baby's grandparents then you wont have to buy much at all it seems.

[@dizzlecookie]

Gonna be honest about my regret and it's something that's not very popular opinion I think. The best way for my baby to sleep was on me and I admit I slept on the couch with her a lot the first few weeks just to get some sleep/sanity. I was so determined not to let her sleep with us because of what we're taught here in the states that it's basically a death sentence, turns out sleeping on the couch is more dangerous and I hadn't heard about it. Then we ended up losing our house and moving into a bedroom in my parents house when our baby was 1 1/2 months old. I read about how the rest of the world views babies and sleep (Japan for instance, where it's normal to sleep with your baby and the SIDS rate is still lower than US). So we decided to let her sleep with us since neither of us turn a lot in our sleep, and guess what it's turned out great for us. To each their own, in my opinion if you want to sleep with your baby and you're following safe sleep guidelines (no extra pillows, no heavy blankets, no smoking or drinking) you shouldn't feel guilty about it. I wish I had gotten there sooner.

[@AshleyEmbers]

Thank you for sharing this. I agree, if you’re doing shared sleeping safely, there shouldn’t be any shame. Also I’m so sorry you had such a stressful time at the beginning of your baby’s life!

[@dizzlecookie]

@@AshleyEmbers thank you!! I'm so glad you agree!

[@TimiSterr]

It just feels so natural to sleep with baby, right? 🥰

[@dizzlecookie]

@@TimiSterr yes totally! 💕

[@annarocha3254]

@@TimiSterr no, not for me. But I'm so glad that other people are able to do it safely. :)

[@TimiSterr]

I wish I didn't stress about sleep at the beginning! My baby was not a textbook baby at all. For the first month she'd mostly sleep on the boob during the day. I thought I did something wrong, cause everyone says it's a "bad" sleep association... I tried to not let her sleep on the boob but then I felt guilty for taking away the comfort from her. btw, turns out, she just wants to be a big baby. She's been in 3-6 month clothing before she was 2 months old. And she grew out of the stage when she'd sleep on the boob for 1.5 hours.

[@catsbiie6691]

The wake windows and reactive tip are something's I also regret!

[@Lifeinlumos]

Our son had some health problems and was in the NICU and paediatric ward for the first 2 weeks of his life. Mostly my husband but also me a bit were so scared of his breathing wile he slept. So my husband parents got us an owlet sock and it’s been great. It tacks his sleep as well so we try and put it on him for every nap or feed where I think he’s going to fall asleep. I love looking back and seeing how he slept the night before and see hey he woke up at 2 and put him self back to sleep cool. It’s expensive but I 100% would get it again!

[@AshleyEmbers]

I’ve heard only good things about the owlet!

[@lightnight99]

100% agree with this video!

[@eviescotia]

Wearing your baby is an alternative to tummy time (I don't know how many of those parenting advice books/blogs / etc put this info in there) so if you're wearing your baby for (I don't know how long they suggest tummy time for) then they get very similar neck and core benefits! Learned this in a baby class before giving birth and after my prolapse healed enough that the added weight of carrying baby in a wrap/carrier wasn't making me feel pressure, I pretty much just carried the kid everywhere... They could hold their head up by 3 months so that's when I learned to wrap them on my back as an alternative to front carrying 🤓 did not do tummy time everyday/ much at all and still felt guilt about it because of the current parenting zeitgeist...but guilt from not doing the recommended norm concerning parenting is just something that is going to happen to first time parents no matter what the advice is 😩 I think learning to eschew that guilt and decide to parent the way you and your child need is the hardest new-parent learning curve

[@aistemacy7125]

#herefast! Love your videos! Waiting for a baby and love, love, love transparent videos for expecting mommas ❤

[@AshleyEmbers]

Thank you! 🧡🧡🧡

[@LinetteArroyo]

I’m glad I came across this video. My newborn is 6 weeks old and his pediatrician recommended tummy time 4 times a day for 15 min. That seemed like a lot. 😕

[@AshleyEmbers]

Wow that does seem like a lot!

[@moon.c]

Thank you so much!

[@AshleyEmbers]

🧡

[@Z_U_Z_U_93]

Absolutely agree with you 😭

[@beeonkuhh8597]

So many people said "When you buy a baby shower gift get clothes past the newborn stage because everyone gets newborn clothes and then they don't have any later stage clothes." I went ahead and bought 3-6 and 6-9 month clothing for my friend and their new baby. Two years later when I asked them what I should put on my registry for my baby they said "Request specifically newborn clothing if you need it, everyone bought us stuff past the newborn stage and we had like, 4 newborn onesies." *face palm* ..... We didn't know the sex of our baby till she was born so I spent most of my post partum recovery picking out and ordering what I wanted past the newborn stage. It was great

[@AshleyEmbers]

It’s so hard to know what you need when you don’t know how big your baby will be 😄

[@anastasiiasafiannikova5181]

#5 - as they say: "Stop being stressed out planning the landing when the point is in falling down". Which is not something Ι'm perfect in though, I have planned EVERYTHING and I'm not even pregnant yet! 😂

[@jasminehamilton7012]

I wish I would of known that I will now forever be addicted to white noise machines 😂

[@joannak6121]

I was so NOT expecting all the sleeping baby sounds. Terrifying 😂

[@AshleyEmbers]

Right???? 😂

[@TimiSterr]

Why is it that nobody tells you that?? I was so stressed!

[@hyacintify]

Love your videos :D

[@AshleyEmbers]

Thank you!

[@hannahtucker94]

Omg, yes to sleeping on my chest! My 4 month old will only sleep in her crib now, not on us and I miss it soooo much. There’s nothing like the newborn snuggles 🥺

[@AshleyEmbers]

Seriously. Such sweet moments 🧡

[@lennyguerrerofeliciano8565]

My baby is 1 month and 20 days old, she loves to sleep on me or on my boob and people around me say is a bad thing because they become dependent, but that’s not true I know time flies and I’m going to miss it so much any time soon

[@katepennacchio8373]

Watching this 9 days away from my baby girl’s due date ❤️ definitely going to keep these tips in mind as I enter the world of being a newborn mom!

[@AshleyEmbers]

So exciting!!! 🧡

[@drowningstar5]

Ugh I’m also bad at tummy time. I like to say she makes up for it by being held sitting up a lot. That has to be working her neck muscles right? My baby is only 3 months old but already I’m making a list of things I’m going to do different next time around. Here’s mine: 1. Just buy the damn newborn clothes! I also only had like three zip up sleepers and an assortment of onesies. What was I thinking??? Newborns poop and spit up on everything. 2. Don’t feel guilty over your night time routine. After lots of trial and error we decided my husband would sleep on the couch and I would keep the baby in a cosleeper in the bed. We did this for a month and a half and I felt so guilty but it worked for us!! We were both less stressed, less sleep deprived and less cranky. Once her sleep leveled out we were able to all be in the same room together, not the end of the world! 3. Don’t wait to introduce the bottle if you’re going back to work. I wish I started giving her one daily as soon as we got home. I go back to work in a week and she still fights bottles and I’m very stressed. 4. Whatever swaddle you like, make sure you have at least two. Again, newborns leak on everything 😂

[@AshleyEmbers]

Great advice!

[@sarahmarie1812]

My baby is 11 weeks old and I’m already feeling guilt about not doing enough tummy time. But honestly, we’re just surviving, you know? And my baby hates it. I start back to work tomorrow too so I really can’t stress about it or I’ll drive myself crazy. 😂 I for sure wish I had more videos. I take a ton of them now though which is just so sweet.

[@AshleyEmbers]

That’s such a good point. Sometimes you just have to survive!

[@MN-oy1uv]

Hi! Our little girl also HATED tummy time, plus laying on her tummy always resulted in her beeing sick :( So I tried very thing the exercises baby tummy time games, slight propping her up with pillows so she could see. And got told off for it... "because it wouldn't help her" and "needed to learn to like it herself" I was told... and giving her help would delay her development... Well she was sitting unassisted by 4 months and crawling by 6, and pulling to to standing by 7... so delay my **s I did use the baby carriere, which she loved! And that also trains there neck/back/core... So if your baby hate tummy time, don't stress and just find a way that works for you! With you love and support your baby can do anything 💕

[@sarahmarie1812]

@@MN-oy1uv thank you! We just had this conversation with her doctor this week and he encouraged more actual tummy time. She LOVES sitting up and on my knee. Also loves the baby carrier and can hold her head up and about for almost an hour so I’m not too worried. She’s very strong already.

[@anniecollado]

My baby was born 10 days ago and I’m already regretting not having more nb clothes ... she only have like 4 sleepers right now and it’s so frustrating reusing the same every day cuz you know babies get dirty really quick 🙄🙄🙄

[@AshleyEmbers]

Thank goodness for Amazon!

[@mkpetersen1607]

When we got a cat (our first "baby" 😅) I woke up with every noise she made the first 3 weeks. But now I don't hear her at all anymore. My husband always tells me how loud she meowed 😅 It sometimes makes me worry if I will also get used to the sounds of my kids and not wake up from it. But I hope it will always turn-on the "Mom" switch in my brain and wake me up 😅

[@AshleyEmbers]

Totally. I’m sure your baby mom brain will be different from your cat mom brain 😄

[@kendravoracek3636]

❤❤

[@haiwu8914]

Hello, I like your video very much, do we have a chance to work together?