Best advice from midwives?

So, thinking about some of the bad advice out there in mainstream publications on childbirth, parenting, breastfeeding, etc. also got me thinking about the good advice that midwives and others can give.

There’s the standard sort of advice, of course–trust your body, relax, enjoy this time with your newborn, sleep when the baby sleeps–and what’s remarkable to me about that sort of thing is how true it really is. But the best single piece of advice my midwife gave us was to use olive oil on our baby. 

We’d had an unopened bottle handy in case I wanted it for massage during labor, and then during the newborn exam my midwife asked if she could use it. We didn’t use anything but olive oil (no soaps, lotions, oils, wipes, balms, etc.) on our baby for the first 3-4 months of life–olive oil proved as perfect for rubbing into those dry creases on newborn wrists and ankles as for keeping the diaper area rash-free. My husband, in particular, became an olive oil convert, and has passed the advice on to everyone we know who has a baby. So, go forth–apply liberally, and rejoice in its fabulous light fruity smell.

What’s your best advice, from your midwife or otherwise?

–Christina