Welcome to the Summer Mumma Podcast I'm your host Janis Carver, in episode 3, I share the 3 realities of Motherhood you won't want to miss. As a mum myself, I know there were many things when I became a new mum I thought I knew, but there were many I didn't. They were things no one ever spoke to me about and I never knew until I experienced this myself. So for those of you who do not know, I'm a member of the Social Method Society, and the founder and owner are Tracy Harris. So before I go any further let's get into it.
The first one is Cluster feeding? If you do not know what this is it usually happens in the first few days or weeks of having your baby. When your baby is showing hunger signs, they usually won't stop crying until they are fed. This will be obvious because your baby will have a lot of short feeds close together, and this will lead to short rests or sleeping between each of the feeds (even only 20 min between). This can be challenging for mum because you are still getting comfortable with learning to breastfeed and get your babies to latch on, etc. The positive thing is that babies know instinctively to do this as it will boost your milk supply which means more for your beautifully growing baby. So mummy it's important to know there is nothing wrong with your milk or supply. It is your baby trying to increase your milk and usually happens when a baby is experiencing a growth spurt. It is also important to know that this can happen at times other than when your baby is firstborn. I have included 1 tip-Sometimes there is no solution but to hold, cuddle them, feed them and wait for it to pass  If you would like more tips on how to help you through these times I will include them in the show notes where you can find some helpful information from Australian Breastfeeding Association
Hormones after birth, Wow your baby is finally here and what an exciting time this is. But your body's hormones have immediately begun to change The two hormones Progesterone and estrogen decrease once your baby and placenta is delivered. These are the hormones that aid in regulation during pregnancy by helping the womb grow, and help grow your baby creating new blood vessels and transfer of nutrients. Oxytocin kicks into overdrive to compensate for this change in hormone levels and is where the motherly instinct comes from but this change can lead to what is known as baby blues, you may feel teary, anxious and irritable. Don't be alarmed if you don't have the motherly instinct you expected it is quite normal for this not to happen straight away and can be because you are having other feelings of fear, worry frustration. It will come Mumma, but rest assured this will settle. The other hormone is Prolactin and it increases, its purpose is to encourage milk production and help with your natural breastfeeding journey. So it's no wonder new mums can feel like there is a lot happening, it's because there is. It can be expected that as a new mum we return to normal immediately but it does take time and we should allow our bodies this time and do our best to be kind to ourselves and accept support.
Sleep deprivation, (Sleep Foundation)There will likely be sleep challenges in the first few weeks of bringing your new baby home and sometimes this extends longer than a few weeks. As a new mum, you are at risk of suffering from insomnia. This could see anxiety, depression, daytime sleepiness, or fatigue. It has also been found that sleep deprivation can increase postpartum symptoms and affects 1 in 8 mothers. Having this awareness can allow you to be a step ahead by ensuring that you have regular naps, and not pushing through like so many mothers will do, Saying no if visitors be it family or friends would like to visit and even more so before bub has had their 6-8 weeks needles. Keep a good sleep routine dark environment and a nice temperature and try to go to bed at similar times. If you are sharing the&