This story is part of “Parenting: What Google Won’t Tell You” — The Better India’s people-led parenting series that goes beyond conventional advice to document how real families are actually raising their children. Through real parents, parenting coaches, influencers and experts, the series brings honest, diverse and relatable perspectives on the questions, choices, challenges and solutions that shape everyday parenting — the things Google can’t always answer.

“Don’t hold the baby too much; you’ll spoil her.”

For Lovely Sharma, a three-month-old’s mother in Gurgaon, Haryana, this is one piece of advice she has heard often but never felt the need to follow.

When her daughter needs comfort, Lovely picks her up. When she is hungry, she feeds her. And when she wants to hold her little girl close, she does not worry about whether someone might think she is carrying her too much.

“My first and foremost priority is that my baby feels happy, safe, and comfortable. If holding her gives her comfort, I will hold her,” she says. “I don’t think a baby can be ‘spoiled’ by receiving too much love and affection.”

Three months into motherhood, Lovely, a content creator who shares her journey with an online community, is learning that while advice comes from everywhere, she does not have to follow every word of it. Some suggestions have made her transition into motherhood easier; others have taught her to trust herself.

It is a journey of learning what works for her daughter, letting go of expectations and understanding that there is no single rulebook for being a good mother.

The parts of motherhood nobody quite prepares you for

Before her daughter arrived, Lovely knew about the sleepless nights,........

© The Better India