Deep Breaths for New Moms, livre ebook

Essential Advice for the New Mom

“Michelle is going to help ease the worries so many new moms have and inspire them to be the best version of themselves.” —Jennika Anderson, YouTube Vlogger 

If you are a new mom, motherhood can be a daunting role if you have little to no experience caring for kids. Popular YouTube mom of five, Michelle Pearson, is here to encourage you to take a deep breath and step into your power!

Choose to inhale, exhale every day. The changes that come with becoming a mother can be overwhelming and exciting, but learn how to be patient and forgive yourself. Michelle knows that the journey has highs, lows and the occasional surprises, so her advice for those joining the new moms club is to balance the waves of emotion by holding space for moments of mindfulness and deep breaths. 

Advice for the new mom. From what to expect during a first time pregnancy to the milestones within the first 12 months of a baby’s life, this influential parenting blogger has empowering and motivating parenting stories for the modern mom. 

Inside Deep Breaths for New Moms, you’ll find:

• How to embrace motherhood with all of its ups and downs
• The importance of finding a tight-knit community of support 
• Advice to properly adapt and manage your social life and career as a working mom

If you liked baby books like Cat and Nat's Mom Truths, Mayo Clinic Guide to Your Baby's First Years, or You Are a F*cking Awesome Mom, you’ll love Deep Breaths for New Moms.

I will never forget the day we found out. The test was positive and we were ecstatic. We were pregnant! I was 26 years old at the time and my husband was 23. We couldn’t wait to take a picture of the test and share it someday soon with our family and friends via text and social media.

I remember hearing that it was not socially acceptable to announce your pregnancy until you were out of your first trimester. This proved difficult, as I worked side by side with my mother and sister every single day. I wanted to follow what I was told, because what if I had a miscarriage? I did not want to go against what I had heard. Nonetheless I gave in. The smells and the bustling Thai restaurant that my family owned proved to be a difficult place for a pregnant woman in her first trimester. I had to tell my family. So I did. Before I was 12 weeks along. I somehow felt like a rebel of sorts.

The moment we posted on Facebook and Instagram that we were pregnant, the congrats and “you need to’s” started coming our way. I remember feeling extremely overwhelmed. I was told that I HAD to read “What to Expect When You’re Expecting.” Oh, and I just HAD to stay away from fish, deli meats, and soda. Of course, I was extremely excited to finally be a mother too. And I was excited to meet my baby boy. But oh, how I felt the need to do what I was told by lots of those around me for fear that I was not doing it correctly or that I wouldn’t fit in.

On Sunday, October 24, 2010, we welcomed William Peter Pearson to our family. Labor was perfect. He was perfect. I, on the other hand, was swollen and about 70 pounds overweight.

I still laugh when I look at my pictures from that day. I felt so small because I no longer had my child inside poking my ribs all day. I could lie on my stomach again. But I was still so far away from how I looked nine months before.

Once Will was born, my husband and I announced it to the world via our cell phones. We were so excited to FaceTime our relatives who lived in different states. I remember my phone blowing up with notifications from old friends, long ago exboyfriends, and current acquaintances. We were in heaven and were so excited to share our baby boy with the world.

I remember asking the doctor to be checked out a day early from the hospital. My husband and I were anxious to get home and start living our lives as parents. We couldn’t wait to figure the whole parenting thing out.

Within a few weeks, I learned how little I knew about motherhood. Of course, I figured out changing a diaper quickly and how to bathe my little Will. I was thankful that nursing clicked for us. I cherished those moments rocking him on our soft microfiber rocker. I remember not being able to stay awake during the night feedings, so I would turn on YouTube videos to keep myself awake and alert. Not only was I providing nutrition for my baby, but I was learning about how to apply eyeshadow too!

As a first-time mom, I didn’t know what was normal for a baby to do. Sure, I had been given a laundry list of books to peruse, but who had time to read all of that? It wasn’t until Will was a few weeks old that I started getting the questions from family and friends. “Is he sleeping through the night? How many naps does he take during the day? How long does he sleep when he sleeps?” I started feeling self-conscious. Will wasn’t the greatest sleeper. No, he wasn’t going all night without waking up. If he woke up, my instinct was to rush to his side and pick him up, and then if he wanted I would nurse him back to sleep. It was then that I realized how different my parenting style already was from others’.

When I told people he wasn’t sleeping well or that I would nurse on demand, I started to get suggestions such as, “Why don’t you let him just cry it out? Have you read ‘Babywise’? You HAVE to read that book. It works for every baby.” So began my journey with trying to get my baby to be the perfect sleeper by the time he was 6 weeks old. (As a mom of three currently pregnant with baby #4 and baby #5, I laugh at this now.)

I tried it all. I bought as many books as I could find on Amazon. I read online articles and I talked with friends. I wanted so badly to be able to give the answer “yes” when asked if he slept through the night. Guess what? Nothing worked. Nothing. I felt like a failure. Why am I telling you this story? Is it to make you feel sorry for me as a first time mom? Well, yes. Kind of.

No, I tell you this so you know where I’m coming from. I’m not a scholar. I’m not a pediatrician. I am just a millennial mom of three (soon to be five) kids. Everything I share in this book is what I have learned in my last 6 years of parenting. I share it because I want you to know where I came from and how I came to the conclusions that I have. Let’s continue on, shall we?

Contents

Foreword
Introduction

Chapter One - How to Become the Mom You Want to Be
Chapter Two - The Good, the Bad, the Ugly
Chapter Three - Embracing/Finding/Defining the Mother Within
Chapter Four - Delicate Balance
Chapter Five - A Day in the Life of a Millennial Mom
Chapter Six - iMom
Chapter Seven - Pamper Yourself
Chapter Eight  - My Favorite Recipes for the Millennial Mom

Conclusion