« How To Reduce Gift-Giving Stress During the Holidays | Main | How to Create Hollywood-Worthy Home Movies »
How to Survive the First Few Weeks of Motherhood With Some Semblance of Your Sanity
Published 11.19.2008 | Permanent Link | Comments (8)
By Kristen Chase, author of Motherhood Uncensored and co-founder of Cool Mom Picks
1. Get Help
Whether it’s a relative or friend who makes you dinner, or a paid babysitter or postpartum doula who chases after the older kids and cleans your house, you need to get help. There’s no written ordinance that says mothers should be able to do everything on their own. So, when it comes to these first few weeks, enlist the village and be clear about what you need. Make a list of things you need and/or what would be most helpful and leave it on the refrigerator so that your “helpers” can actually provide you with help and not make life more complicated for you.
2. Get Sleep
Most moms laugh when someone tells them to sleep when the baby sleeps, but when it comes down to it, lack of sleep is probably the worst side effect of every mom’s postpartum existence. Combine no sleep with raging hormones, and life can become quickly unbearable. So if someone offers to hold the baby so you can sleep, take them up on it, regardless of how many laundry piles and dirty dishes might be calling your name. Even a couple of hours of rest can turn your mood around.
3. Get a sling
Contrary to popular belief (or maybe it’s just my mother-in-law), newborns cannot be spoiled by holding them too much. But if you’ve got other things to do, like eating or using the bathroom without listening to the baby scream from her swing, try a sling. Now before you think yards of fabric wrapped in some sort of origami knot, think again. Most slings don’t require a master’s degree in baby wearing. My hands-down favorite (literally) is the Rockin’ Baby Pouch. But your best bet is to find a sling-addicted friend, or sling and carrier reviews online, and figure out which one is best for you.
4. Get Out
Anyone stuck in the same house, in the same clothes, with the same baby for any length of time will go buggy – think solitary confinement but with a screaming hungry infant. It’s practically torturous. So whether it’s a walk around the block or a quick trip to the mall, a change of scenery will do you a world of good. And if you can, leave the baby home. Not only will she be exposed to less germs, but she could probably use a little break from you too.
5. Get Perspective
When it comes to these early weeks, it’s just about making it through to the next day. So just go into survival mode and do what you can. Lower your expectations tenfold. Do not step on the scale or try on your old jeans, both of which will just send you back over the edge. Instead focus on the positive – be proud that you fed your child successfully and leave it at that. Daily showers, complete meals, and matching clothes are bonuses. And celebrate your spontaneous crying fests with a drink.
- Follow Us!
Via RSS Feed- Via Email
- On Twitter
- On Facebook
- Recent Posts
- How to Prepare for Your Newborn's First Pediatrician's Appointment
- How To Care For Your Child's Teeth Like a Pro
- How To Navigate the Supermarket Like a Nutritionist
- How To Plan Parties with Guests who have Allergies
- How to Trick or Treat Safely
- Categories
- Ages
- Animals
- Beauty
- Books
- Caregiving
- College
- Food
- Health
- Holidays
- Home & Garden
- Money Matters
- New Mom
- Offbeat
- Organization
- Parties
- Photography
- Play
- Pregnancy
- Relationships
- Safety
- School
- Shopping
- Travel
- Contributors
- A Girl & A Boy
- Bessie.Viola
- Busy Mom
- Cool Mom Picks
- Chookooloonks
- Desperately Seeking Sanity
- Doobleh-vay
- Dutch Blitz
- Fairly Odd Mother
- Foodmomiac
- Gray Matter Matters
- Green Mom Finds
- Her Bad Mother
- Hola Isabel
- I Pretty Much Hate Everything
- Issas Crazy World
- Jennifer Graf Groneberg
- Justice Fergie
- Looky, Daddy!
- Mamalogues
- Meagan Francis
- Miss Britt
- Miss Zoot
- Motherhood Uncensored
- Notes To Self
- Nothing But Bonfires
- Oh My Stinkin' Heck
- Peppers and Pollywogs
- Rookie Moms
- Sarah Wagner Yost
- Suburban Turmoil
- Table4Five
- The Blythe Spirit
- The Fabulous Miss S
- The Naked Ledger
- Three Out of Seven
- To Think Is To Create
- Today's Moms
- Uppercase Woman
- Woulda Coulda Shoulda
- Write. Edit. Repeat.
- Archives
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
Most Popular
1) How To Fly with a Young Child
2) How To Be A Cool Twilight Mom
3) How to Deal with Your Mother-In-Law Talking Smack
4) How to Introduce Music to Your Child
5) How To Take Great Photos Of Your Kids
About this column
Could there really be a guide to everything? And, in 5 simple steps? Nope. But, there are definitely fun and simple ways to live life with your family.
The Alpha Mom Guide to Everything (in 5 simple steps) is a contribution-based column, reflecting the voices of parents and non-parents who love children. We will cover lots of topics in the initial months and will continue to be introducing more. You will find that our guide is easy to understand.
1- it's in 5 easy steps
2- it's subjective, but accurate
3- it's useful
We are looking for submissions, so if you're interested please contact us first at contact@alphamom.com. We already have a dozens in the queue ready to be launched over the next few months and don't want to duplicate efforts.
Disclaimer
This column is only for entertainment purposes. Any recommendations or information provided herein should not be used as a substitute for advice by a trained professional. For a full statement of our site policies, please click here.
Comments (8):
amy said:
wonderful- smart and oh so true! Love it!
Posted on November 19, 2008 08:12
Elisa said:
Great post! A good sling is a MUST, no matter what the stupid Motrin people say ;-) I have several suggestions for slings on a baby edition of my "cool finds" post, here.
Posted on November 19, 2008 11:21
Issa said:
The cool thing about having more than one kid, is you truly know that making it though the day is enough. The house may be trashed, the kids may have eaten cereal for dinner for the third night in a row; but if all of them are alive at night, the day is a success.
Posted on November 19, 2008 11:55
Assertagirl said:
I just sent this two my two girlfriends who are pregnant...sounds like good advice to me! I try to be the friend who invites the new mom out.
Posted on November 19, 2008 15:22
charlotte said:
That drink? Oh, it sounds heavenly.
23 days till the due date, and then ... aaaah!
Posted on November 19, 2008 15:48
Christian said:
My absolute favorite sling is the Rockin Baby Pouch. It never leaves my side either I have it on, or it is in my bag because it is so compact! I own 3 other slings, and this is hands down my favorite!
Posted on November 19, 2008 16:50
Linda said:
Love this post!! Great advice. Love your last two. I'm going to add this to our Baby Bunching bests this week. :-)
Posted on November 20, 2008 13:55
Victoria said:
I had all of these things and can vouch for the sanity-saving effects of each. As a single mom of a colicky baby who never slept, I was beyond overwhelmed. I can't imagine having done it without each of these.
Posted on November 26, 2008 09:30