How to Cope as a New Mom

There are some forms of happiness, and then there are babies – the joy you know when you know you’re expecting is something that has to be experienced firsthand to be believed. You carry junior for the better part of nine months, and then voila, he or she enters this world one fine day, and your whole world is turned upside down.

You hardly know night from day, you feel exhausted all the time, and your life seems to revolve around the tiny being that seems to be bawling all the time. It’s not the easiest of times when you have a newborn at home, so if you’re looking for tips to cope, read on:

* Sleep when your baby sleeps: Now this may be hard to do if you have older kids, but if your spouse is willing to look after them or if they’re at school, lie down and get some rest when junior’s napping. You’re bound to be up at all hours of the night and your sleep patterns are going to become erratic with the young one’s feeding times interfering with them, so get some sleep any time you can.
* Be mentally prepared: The most important thing when you’re having a baby is to be mentally prepared for the long haul ahead. If your mind is ready to accept that it’s not going to all be a bed of roses, no matter how much happiness your bundle of joy brings, you will accept the midnight crying, the colicky screaming, the endless feeding, and every other exasperating aspect of your baby with a sense of maturity.
* Get some exercise: Even though you’ve just given birth, don’t spend all your time being sedentary. Take small walks around the house, walk up and down the stairs, and get back to some form of mild exercise as soon as your doctor gives you the go ahead. When you exercise, your stress levels reduce and you feel at peace with yourself and less frustrated when your baby is cranky.
* Eat healthy: It’s an obvious fact, but one that most mothers don’t follow. They’re so busy looking after their baby that they neglect their health and eat any old junk that’s convenient. This not only prevents their baby from receiving nutrition through breast milk, but also spoils their health in the long term.
* Rope in friends and family to help: When you have a new baby, there’s no shame in asking people who love you to pitch in, especially when it comes to taking care of the older kids or staying the night with a sick baby.
* Enjoy the experience: Enjoy the experience while it lasts, because your baby is going to grow up faster than you think. And when you feel your frustration levels grow, remember that this is for the short term only.

This guest article was written by Adrienne Carlson, who regularly writes on the topic of pharmacy tech certification . Adrienne welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: adrienne.carlson83@yahoo.com

I am trying to abide by these tips. At 2am, when I have been rocking and nursing the baby for an hour and he still wants to stay awake, it does make me wish we were past this stage! But most of the time, he is just a sweet little baby!

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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