So you’ve just brought your new bundle of joy home for the first time. You’re looking forward to the coos and the tiny yawns. But it doesn’t take long for you to realize your happy new life is full of exhaustion and stress. You’re sore from breastfeeding, you have a pile of onesies that aren’t going to fold themselves, and you’ve noticed you and your husband are starting to get short with each other.
Rebecca Ingram Powell, author of Baby Boot Camp: Basic Training for the First Six Weeks of Motherhood, sums it up well: “New moms are often flustered and bewildered during those early days with a baby. Besides having a body that’s getting back to normal, postpartum mothers must deal with fluctuating hormones, extreme fatigue and roller-coaster emotions.” She also has sound advice for new moms. Here are 5 of our favorites.
1. Remember, it’s only temporary.
You may feel like the situation will never pass, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Eventually, your baby will settle into a better sleeping pattern, and your body and hormones will begin to feel normal again. It may be hard to imagine that life will stop being so unpredictable and chaotic, but give it time. This is one piece of advice for new moms that older moms will all echo. It goes by so fast, so try not to wish it away.
2. Prioritize your life.
During this time, your focus should be on the health and care of your baby and yourself. Be sure you get as much rest as possible, eat nutritious meals, and drink plenty of water. Your body has gone through a major change, and it just needs some time to recover. So, instead of worrying about keeping the house spotless or what’s going on at the office without you, focus on caring for your baby and yourself.
3. Let others help you.
It’s difficult for some of us to admit we need help, especially when other moms make it look so easy. What we don’t see is that they’ve accepted a meal from a neighbor or hired a service to come clean once a week. There is no award for Most Self-Sufficient Mom, so ask for a hand or accept the offer when it comes.
There is no award for Most Self-Sufficient Mom, so ask for a hand or accept the offer when it comes. Click To TweetIt’s also a gift to others to allow them to help you. Your friend from work who wants to make dinner might miss cooking for her family now that her kids are grown. Or your mother-in-law might get the warm fuzzies when she folds all that pink laundry.
4. Recognize your family’s new roles.
Any time there is an addition to the family, dynamics change. Now, instead of just being your husband’s wife or your parents’ daughter, you are a child’s mother. And your husband is a father. These are life-changing roles that may take some time to adjust to.
This is an area where Powell says mothers need to exercise patience. It may take some trial and error in learning how to balance caring for the baby while growing your relationship with your spouse; and it may take some effort to welcome your parents and in-laws into your life more than before.
5. Know that you’re in good company.
You may feel exhausted. You may feel overwhelmed. You may feel on edge. But take some comfort in knowing that you are not alone. Motherhood is a joyful experience, but it is not an easy one. Ask any mother you know if the early days were a breeze and she’ll probably laugh out loud!
Now is a time to reach out to others for encouragement, to take time to seek comfort in your faith, and to realize that even though this is one of the toughest things you’ve ever done, it is also one of the most rewarding.
What’s some advice for new moms you’ve taken to heart?
