On Thursday, I get induced to bring my first child, Colton, into the world. I have loads of support, but I want to know if any of you parents (or not) have any advice of any sort for a young, single mother?

Congratulations

You are embarking on the most challenging and demanding and hopefully rewarding voyage of your entire life. Your going to experience joy and bliss like you never have before. Your also going to experience pain and tears like you never have.

Patience, Patience, Patience is vital.

Take care of yourself..you'll be a healthier happy mommy when you do and your baby benefits from that.

The greatest piece of advise I would give any young single mother is to trust YOUR gut. Many well intending people will always be there to advise. We, as mothers instinctively know what is the best thing to do when it comes to our children, learn to go with that.

Charish every second. They grow up so fast!! My mom told me this... I didn't listen and overnight he is 8 years old!!
Don't be afraid to ask for help. Everybody needs it.
Parenting is fun... and hard work. But it is only hard work if you don't make time for the fun.
Congrats on what is soon to become an amazing experience!!

I am happy for you, girl My prayers for your safe delivery.

Embarking to motherhood is indeed a challenging but very rewarding experience. Enjoy every minute of it as never will it come back to you in a single life. Always find the joy of you having a child of your own and you will always be a very good parent. Most of all, seek guidance. Congratulations!

Pray with your baby every day. Read your bible with your baby. And take advantage of your opportunity to improve your own health as you research how to raise your child to be strong: mentally, physically and spiritually.

You have a busy 18 years ahead of you. You can hit me up when you want to talk about anything parenting/interest related.

Yes my best advice to you is...
always be nice to your kids after all they get to pick the old folks home

My advice is to make the father a part of your kids lives.!!

Bye now you are a mommy,Congrats!

300 Daipers SEEMS like a alot, but it's not.

Congrats!

My advice (I am a single mom of twin boys) is definitely patience with yourself and trust your gut as was said before.

Also, make sure you are taking care of your needs while taking care of Colton. You have to be in good health and doing well to be the best mom you can be.

And yes it is ok to ask for help! Its great that you have a good support system. Also, they do grow up SO fast... you turn around and wonder... "Where did the time go???" So try to enjoy the time while he's little...

You'll get frustrated, scared, you'll panic over things that later you'll laugh at, you'll cry, you'll giggle with him (once he can), he'll amaze you, you'll feel joy....parenting is an amazing journey, a rewarding journey, but sometimes a roller coaster ride... LOL

You'll be great!

If you ever need support or have a question please message me anytime.
~Kristen

I'm NOT a single Mommy,,BUT,I was a single Daddy,,and to be real with your question here,,writes a book as to all its answers..
To try and be short in my replies,,narrows the respect my answers may contribute to you and other first Mother's..But as MOST never read long,,lol,,I'll try. NOT TO TELL YOU WHAT TO DO,,,but I'll tell you WHAT NOT TO DO,,wink,
Never trust ANYONE to be right or do right with your baby,,BUT YOU!
Never leave then unattended where THEY ARE NOT SAFE,,EVER,,even for one minute,,for thats the thirty seconds they need to cause grave issues..
Never JUMP,,at every cry,,THEY NEED toknow sometimes,,YOUR NOT LISTENING.
Never feel your NOT being a good Mommy because their upset and crying,,,YOUR FINE,,THEIR THE ONE LEARNING?
Never hold them and keep them ALWAYS IN YOUR ARMS,,for THEY NEED TO KNOW ALONE!
NEVER keep the room and house completely quite,,for they need to know that people talk and noise IS GOING TO BE AROUND THEM.
NEVER feel that YOUR not important to them,,for WITHOUT YOU,,THEY WOULD DIE.
Never be afraid to ASK SOMEONE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THEIR LIVES.
or YOUR WITH THEM?
Never PUT SOMEONE ELSE ABOVE THEIR LIFE...
NEVER GET UPSET AT THEM,,BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW YOU OR LIFE YET.
NEVER FORGET YOUR THEIR TEACHER,,and it through everything YOU SHOW THEM,,as tohow THEY SHALL ACT AND BE HERE.
NEVER go one day,,whaer YOU don't FEEL HOW MUCH THEY LOVE YOU AND YOU LOVE THEM!!!!
Just know YOU are THIS CHILDS ONLY HOPE TO GROW AND BE...
Let them grow to know that YOU never turned away from them,,and proudly put into THEM,,all the BEST THAT YOU HAD,,
Your going to be a GREAT NEW MOMMY!!!

Never JUMP,,at every cry,,THEY NEED toknow sometimes,,YOUR NOT LISTENING.

Well, I agree there is no need to jump at every cry.
If the child would die without her as you say..why would it be good advise for her to make sure the child knows she is not listening?
Seems even more important that the baby know she's there.

Never feel your NOT being a good Mommy because their upset and crying,,,YOUR FINE,,THEIR THE ONE LEARNING?

Pretty sure mommy and child will both be.. both teachers and students on this journey. I think we get caught up in the idea that we are the parents therefore we can only teach. Our children have volumes to teach us, if we let them.

Never hold them and keep them ALWAYS IN YOUR ARMS,,for THEY NEED TO KNOW ALONE!

um, why?!?! Life will show them alone soon enough.

NEVER feel that YOUR not important to them,,for WITHOUT YOU,,THEY WOULD DIE.

What a horrible message to teach a child. If this is the case...they must know your not listening and they must know alone..
makes no sense.

NEVER FORGET YOUR THEIR TEACHER,,and it through everything YOU SHOW THEM,,as tohow THEY SHALL ACT AND BE HERE.

Being a good example is good sound advise. We can teach them 'right' and 'wrong'...they will have their own thoughts and deserve to have their own choices. We can't make little clones of them. Life moves not backwards...

Terry, now she will have a couple different perspectives on those very important issues.

Hear all the advice you can, but in the end its your child. Nothing always works, and nothing is always right. Just be consistent and know you are the example. If you yell, they yell. If you say tks, they say tks. And so on. My advice- nothing is more important then givng them your time and attention. That's all they want. Then all of a sudden its their friends. Lol. And you will miss being the center of their world. Oh yeah, for me I never tried to change their personality- embrace it and teach them how to make positive choices.

Many new Mother's feel a trauma after giving birth, and many have felt that their not going to be a good Mommy..
Because of this happening to some of them,,I wrote what I did.
Some new Mother's have deserted their babies, some, have even tried to stop their babies life..
Why? I don't know THEIR THOUGHTS?,,I just know that no parent should find themselves feeling like THEY CAN'T DO THIS.
Every Mother and every Father have the ability and will power to be GREAT PARENTS,,but many who THINK they CAN'T,,is based on the parent feeling like a failure to them self as a parent...DON'T think that,,because no new parent has all the answers and no new parent is going to do everything just right ,,to make their baby HAPPY ALL THE TIME,,,,Baby's are BORN TO CRY,,,and born to show all their emotions at different times of the day or night..
Many children who get held constantly after birth and each new hour and day ahead,,,,and sleep with them, walk with them and rock with them,,constantly,,,IF that is done,,,then THAT BABY,, will be a very up-set mess,,when trying to get them to sleep alone in their cribs,,,and that baby WILL CRY and suffer MUCH MORE ,,because of it feeling the LACK or missing being held ALL THE TIME..I've lived this,,I know what loving your baby TO MUCH can do to that baby's WANTING YOU THERE...so if a new baby's life is loved and held and taken good care of,,then TO ME here anyway,,the baby needs to know their FINE NOT BEING HELD,,just as much as they KNOW their being held..
I am FAR from knowing anyones best,,but through MY OWN MISTAKES I try and let a person know all that I went through doing what I FELT was in my child's BEST MIND,,,but,,I learned the hard ways what NOT to do,,,THATS all I'm trying to pass-on here..

And Lori...this below here was NOT meant for teaching a child,,it was meant as PRAISE for the new Mother to KNOW and FEEL?
NEVER feel that YOUR not important to them,,for WITHOUT YOU,,THEY WOULD DIE.

What a horrible message to teach a child. If this is the case...they must know your not listening and they must know alone..
makes no sense.
The ONLY message I am trying to give,,,is to spoil a child is to take from them a very needed internal knowledge,,,To know THEY CAN DO,,and to have faith in their own abilities to achieve their internal self worth to KNOW,,,
I have a 60 year old sister who STILL has her son, who's 37 living with her and he is mentally and physical in GREAT SHAPE...
HE was just GIVEN by her everything HE wanted to have...
ITS NOT HIS fault,,,,it rests in her unable to NOT let him TRY HIS BEST,,,but for him to have her do for him,,,he has never held any job very long,,,and has not-worked,,much longer than he ever TRIED to work,,,,I love them BOTH much,,,but have witnessed his lack,,and her rushing or sacrificing her self,,,so he always has,,,and TO ME,,,THATS not helped HIM,,to become a Man,,and independent of her help? NOW that I have explained all this maybe you won't try and show my words as insulting to a new parent to read?
I really don't try and disect your comments to others,,as their your hearts thoughts for them to have? But I'm cool,,just saying,,I started my reply with me NOT TRYING to tell them what to do,,just NOT what to do,,,wink,,But I am ALWAYS OPEN to have any review of my statements questioned or commented on,,,
I have asked many questions to views my self,,,,I hope you have a GREAT FORTH,,and spend that with your boys,,hugs

I don't believe we can 'spoil' an infant...or love them too much!

So what if your baby, child sleeps with you, there is nothing wrong with that. It's actually very natural, society has made that a bad thing.

I really doubt that your 37 year old nephew still lives with his mother because he was held, rocked and loved too much...

congratulations dani

there is so much advice that can be given, but no foolproof method that will work for every child every time

Id just say you have to find a balance and depend upon yourself

appreciate whatever support you find, but never EXPECT or DEPEND upon it


its common sense that you love your baby, but sometimes love is doing the hard things too

letting them cry sometimes, telling them no sometimes, taking time for yourself sometimes, encouraging them to figure things out on their own more and more as time goes on,, preparing them for life
praising the positive and discouraging the negative behaviors

its all a part of responsible and loving parenting

children need to know they are loved, but they also will learn how to love themself by seeing that you love yourself as well...

a crying baby doesnt mean you are a bad parent, its just the only way they can communicate, take your time, take a breath, and believe that you can do it,,,,,

Thank you, so much, everyone. And yes, I am now a mommy... Though I swear, I will NEVER do that again! Some complications ensued and I am still here in the hospital since Wednesday. Hopefully get to go home tomorrow, but we'll see what the doc says about my healing.

My boy is beautiful, and already has a personality the size of Texas. He loves to be awake when he's with ANYONE else but me; as soon as he gets in my arms, he crashes. But I love him, and he is absolutely gorgeous. I'll have to get some pictures up soon.

Thanks guys and girls. It means alot, and I will definitely be referring to your advice in the future!

Oh congrats! Always let your child know that they can talk to you about anything, even any embarrasing problems. Also, teaching a child to not let their friends walk all over them, too.

Learn how to take your compliments when you get them and not just when you think you deserve them. Just the other day at the nursing home my 37 year old resident told me that I was a good mommy. I had changed her brief; Wet her wash cloth; Got her a drink of water and gave her hug like she asked for and Finally asked her if there was anything else she needed before I left the room and then she told me that.