CREATING a ‘baby plan’ when you are expecting is a good way to get some peace of mind while getting to grips with parenting.
Loads of people turn to the internet for inspiration on what they should include in their plans – although it’s wise to consult your midwife or other health professional too.
Naturally, not everybody will agree on all methods.
But one influencer has caused a storm online for her ‘unrealistic’ baby plan, with viewers saying she ‘doesn’t know what is coming’.
Mum-to-be Isabelle Lux (@isabelle.lux) faced backlash after posting her list on TikTok, captioned, ‘my baby rules, thoughts?’
Although Isabelle welcomed comments, she also made it clear that she wouldn’t be put off by negative feedback.
She opened the clip by telling viewers: “You can call me crazy if you want, but I literally don’t care.”
Isabelle showed the list behind her as she walked viewers through her postpartum plan.
The first rule on her list was ‘not calling family right away’.
She explained: “As soon as you call people, they want to Facetime, they wanna see the little guy, they wanna hear everything.
“And you’re like, ‘I’m literally exhausted, I just had a baby, I need this time for me.'”
The influencer said reaching out to family members was a ‘common mistake’ that new parents make.
But many new parents are grateful for their family stepping in to help during those first few days.
Moving to the next rule on the list, Isabelle detailed a strict beauty regime -planning to bounce back to her presentable self soon after the newborn arrived.
She dubbed it ‘beauty bootcamp’ and said she would be incorporating a range of acids, retinols and sauna treatments to her routine.
Viewers were quick to warn Isabelle against her intense regime, with one letting her know that using retinol is ‘kind of controversial when the baby is very small’.
Retinol is a form of Vitamin A that is used in skincare products and as a dietary supplement.
Users should make sure they fully understand the product before incorporating it into their regime.
Women-led healthcare educator, Kin, said: “A US study found that products with a higher concentration of retinol are best avoided due to the lack of evidence from peer-reviewed studies proving their safety during pregnancy.
“Because of this, it is not recommended to use retinol while breastfeeding either.”
Isabelle then said she was planning on using the ‘5/5/5 rule at home’ – a post-partum recovery plan which recommends five days in bed, five days on the bed and five days near the bed.
She said: “Super important for recovery, but it does mean that your husband is going to have to pick up a lot of slack, because when the baby cries, you don’t get to pick up the baby or go figure out what’s going on.
“No, the baby gets brought to you so that you can fully, fully recover.”
On their website, American birth and post-partum service Better Beginnings explains: “This gives you a solid two weeks of focused intentional rest.
“It also helps to get your priorities in order when it comes to those eager visitors.”
But this led on to Isabelle’s next rule – and one of her most controversial, as she vowed she wouldn’t be doing any nappy changes for three weeks after the birth.
She said: “I don’t care if it’s night or day, I will not be changing a single diaper.”
But viewers were quick to dismiss her bold plan, with one saying: “The no diaper changing will definitely change lol”
Other things that Isabelle banned included light up toys, baby music and American formula.
She said the sensory development tools would ‘stress her out’ and dubbed the American baby formulas ‘trash’ compared to their foreign counterparts.
One confused viewer commented: “No baby music? How do you expect your baby to learn the basic things, babies learn a lot through music and TV shows.”
And studies have found this to be true – as age-appropriate shows can bolster learning and build conversational skills.
Finally, Isabelle was insistent that she would embark on numerous travels after the birth.
Her destinations included the south of France, New York, Switzerland and Austria.
Concerned viewers asked if Isabelle was planning on hiring a nanny to help out with baby care while she holidays.
But Isabelle replied in the comments: “Not for these trips, with a new baby it’s not necessary (we will take my mom [sic] to all), in the future probably.”
She rounded off the video asking viewers to leave any ‘unpopular baby raising opinions’ – claiming she is ‘always looking for advice’.
But the majority of viewers instead chose to voice their confidence that the controversial baby plan would be quickly derailed.
One user said: “Babies come and crash all plans, but dream all you can!”
While another person wrote: “Please don’t ever delete this. I’d love to see the 12 month postpartum update to see the report card on this list.”
TO SAY the body changes during pregnancy and childbirth is an understatement.
Throughout the nine months it takes for the body to bring a baby into the world, it goes through some huge physical changes.
Considering how different the body looks during pregnancy, it’s not surprising that there are some lasting changes.
And it some ways, it never does, Doctor Rachel Ward, a GP at Woodlands Medical Centre, Derby, said.
1. Wider ribcage and hips
“During pregnancy in order to accommodate a growing baby and prepare for giving birth, our body produces a hormone called relaxin,” she explained.
Relaxin works by increasing the flexibility and movement in our joints and ligaments.
“Many women find that after pregnancy the shape of their pelvis and ribcage remains different,” Dr Rachel said.
It is common to need a different bra size due to a change in chest circumference, the expert said.
“This is a reminder of the changes your body made to accommodate your baby and is nothing to be worried about,” she added.
2. Change in skin colour
During pregnancy, most women experience skin changes as it stretches to accommodate your bump and enlarging breasts.
“It is not uncommon to develop stretch marks.
“Though they will often fade over time and become a shiny pale colour, depending on your skin tone they will not go away completely,” Dr Rachel said.
“Some people do not like the way stretch marks look but they are an incredibly common change that we see in many people,” she added.
3. A change in breast shape
Breasts increase in size during pregnancy as the breast tissue prepares to produce milk.
And shortly after birth they will start to produce milk and become swollen, Dr Ward explained.
“If you choose to breast feed or not, it is likely that the shape, size and way your breasts look and feel will be different after pregnancy compared to before,” she added.
“This is not a problem but it is important that we do learn what the new normal is for our breasts so we can stay breast aware and pick up and changes that could be cancer.”
