help for brand new swimmer. Tip from other newbies?

I'd also suggest a masters progrm or a few swim lessons.  Also to keep at it....

I wasn't a swimmer, had the basic skills with some natural ability, watched other people swim, watched some of the swimming tips videos, and then finally gutted it through on my own and am doing "okay" right now, but need a LOT of improvement.

I would suggest checking into a coach to help.

For the time being, do some YouTube searches regarding breathing techniques/swimming tips/techniques, they're out there.  Stay calm and relaxed, and do a little at a time, starting SLOW.  Things fall into place, just like running and biking.

Good luck!

Total Immersion is a good suggestion, but it sounds like she's pretty much starting from scratch so I think the most efficient thing would be to get a couple of lessons from a qualified swim instructor.  Check out your local YMCA, see if they offer anything.

OK...she's a smart person, so she should understand the value of hiring an expert for the situation.  In this case, that's a swim instructor (maybe group lessons).  

For working on it on her own, have her "hum" while her face is in the water.  That forces a steady, controlled, exhale through the nose (just be sure to wait intill her face is out of the water to breathe in again).  Relax, and spend a fair amount of time just pushing off the wall and gliding (no kicking, no arm stroke) as far as possible.  She'll start to understand balance and what kinds of things help/hurt the distance. 

Blujay65 & Fielding:  your guys advise was the key.  We spent a lot of time on the side of the pool just sticking her head in the water and rotating to breath.  After getting really comfortable with that she did the same thing with the kick board and fins.  She progressed quickly after that, and did six kick and switch, and catch up drills.  Now that she knows the drills to help with breathing, she can start working on stroke and building distance. 

She is going to get a nose plug, she is still having problems not getting water down her nose.

Oh, did I mention her first race is in 4 weeks.   

P.S.  I don't know, but my swim coach told me not to hold my breath under water, but to blow out throughout the stroke.  I don't know if she is totally correct, but she got my 1.2mile OW swim down from 55min to 38min, so I'm good with what she said.

I'm not a strong swimmer, but I improved a lot in a year.

I actually think lessons right off the bat isn't the most cost-effective approach. If you can afford 'em, great, but it REALLY helps to study youtube videos about drills and form to see the correct way to swim before getting going. Reading Total immersion is also helpful for pure beginners.

The lessons are really helpful after you feel like you're getting a bunch out of those drills and your technique. Lessons are really important I think when you don't know what else to do to improve your form.

For sure, I'm positive that had I hired a coach for my first 4 months of swimming, I would have been just doing what I was doing anyway. 

Don't hold your breath!!

Think about it for a minute.  What happens when you try to hold your breath?  Your whole body tenses up (lack of extension as you bring your arm forward under water, poor rotation and a weak kick because you can't really use your rigid core).  This is not what you want when you're swimming.  You'll spend the entire time fighting tight muscles.  Breathe out with a steady, controlled, exhale while your face is in the water. 

Holding your breath leads to the "blast-n-gasp" form of freestyle where you try to blast out the exhale and gulp in another lung-full of (hopefully) air.  Your face has to spend a lot of time out of the water to do this and that's when most people start lifting their head because they're worried about not getting air.  Lots of belching, farting, and that bloated feeling when you're done swimming.