​As a mom of three boys (twins who are 6 and a toddler), I look back at the newborn days (or daze!) and realize that hindsight really is 20-20.

After giving birth to my twins, I wish I had known to limit visitors during the first few weeks. Friends and family were excited to meet the babies, but I should have said "no" or limited visitors to one guest per day. We were exhausted and would have benefitted from rest during the babies' naps instead of having to entertain guests. 



In the weeks following my second delivery, I wish I had lined up more childcare to help with the baby’s arrival. It was tough to find time to rest -- when the baby was napping, my two energetic older boys were raring to go. Having a great babysitter to play with them or watch the sleeping baby would have helped me get extra rest and allowed me to focus individually on each child's needs.

In other words, here’s my advice:

• -It's okay to say "no" to visitors
• -Line up extra childcare help
• -Carve out alone time for your older kids
• -Take every opportunity to rest and recover
• -Don’t feel pressure to respond to everybody who texts, emails or calls to see how you are doing