Becoming a first-time parent can be scary. There is so much fear of the unknown and many things are out of your control. I got through these first five months with Miller with a little help from my friends and family. Without their advice and encouragement, I would have been totally lost!
The next royal birth is coming soon, so I am teaming up with Marks & Spencer today to share some advice for Meghan Markle all of the other first-time moms-to-be out there. We are all in this together!
I would love it if my other mamas could leave a comment below answering these below with some of your own advice!
Advice for New Moms-to-Be
1. What is the best advice you could give to expectant parents?
-Don’t take yourself too seriously. You will make mistakes, but your baby will be OK. Learn to laugh things off because we have all been there and done that! I started Mom Fail Monday to remind my fellow mamas that there really aren’t any fails when you are a mom.
and
-Keep your baby in a routine. Babies need a schedule! Try to put your baby on a schedule as early on as you can and stick to it!
2. What are the most valuable pieces of advice you’ve been given and by whom?
-Your mama gut comes first. You will get plenty of ‘advice’ from other parents on what is best for your baby. YOU will know what is best for your baby- My sister.
-Don’t forget about your marriage. Keep your marriage game strong and do what you can to make sure you still have alone time together- my mom.
-Don’t ever say I’ll never because you sure as heck will- my best friend Kimberly.
-Don’t put too much pressure on yourself for perfection. You are already rockin’ it- my best friend Myranda.
3. What three items could you not have lived without as a parent of a newborn?
Your newborn baby will stay inside 99% of the time. You will probably only take them outside for their checkups! We needed soft clothing items that would keep our baby warm while inside during the wintertime.
-Footies (aka sleepsuits). I love this floral set and this whale set from Mark & Spencer. You won’t have to worry about always having a blanket or socks around to keep your baby warm. Miller practically still lives in footies.
-A soft blanket. We had our baby in the wintertime, so we needed something fleece-lined. I love this knitted blanket from Marks & Spencer and this cotton blanket for the summer from M&S.
-Booties. Miller ALWAYS had/still has booties on her feet to keep them from getting cold.
4. How different will your/has your approach been the second time around? In what
ways?
-There was a lot of worry and stress with our first baby. I had no idea what to expect with labor and we were scared to death the moment we walked in the door with her. The next time around we will just able to enjoy the pregnancy more and be excited (instead of anxious) to meet our little baby.
5. How did you, your partner and your family prepare for the new arrival?
-My husband and I spent A LOT of time together. We traveled and had date nights and we grew closer than ever before. We knew our time together would be limited with a newborn so we soaked up every minute together that we could before she arrived. It really helped us become a pretty strong team once she was born.
6. What do you most like about M&S’ newborn baby range?
Marks & Spencer is my favorite place to buy baby clothes. I think at least half of Miller’s wardrobe is from Marks & Spencer.
-We love how soft everything is (the sleep sacks, the footies, the onesies, etc.!) All of the organic cotton pieces are just so insanely soft! We just want to snuggle up to her -even more than usual- when she is wearing something from M&S.
-All of the baby clothes are super affordable. They are usually running sales so we usually get at least 20% off the cart price every time we check out!
-Lastly, I love all of the unisex items. I got this onesie set (shown below) and a few other unisex pieces. We want to be able to use these clothes for the next baby and I love that a lot of M&S pieces can be used for both sexes!
Our Outfits:
Miller’s Organic Cotton Dotted Top
Marks & Spencer has everything you need for your newborn! Here are some more of my favorite newborn pieces from the brand:
1 I 2 I 3 I 4 I 5 I 6 I 7 I 8 I 9 I 10
Please let your own piece of advice for Meghan Markle and all of the other new mamas-to-be in a comment below <3.
And before you leave, make sure to check out THIS POST and THIS POST! They are my most recent posts with Marks & Spencer.
Photos by Adria Lea
*This post is sponsored by Marks & Spencer and Shopping Links. All products were picked out by me and all opinions are 100% my own. Partnerships like these make The Miller Affect possible.
Comments
I like the advice from your friend to not put too much pressure on yourself. In my opinion, it’s a good idea to work with a parent coaching professional to help set realistic goals for yourself and your family. This is also beneficial so you have someone to turn to if questions about parenting arise!
I think you are adorable. My daughter linked you to me and I can see why. Adorable style and adorable family. She is working on starting a family and my son has made me a new Nana with 19 month grandson and 3 week old granddaughter. All of your posts are so good and relate-able . Keep up the good work.
Awh that is so sweet of you to say! Thank you so much Suzanne!
xox Amanda
Hello Amanda! You have shared amazing tips with us. Your tips are very interesting. It will be helpful for all parents who are expecting first baby and becoming a first-time parent in their life. Keep posting!
Great advice!