Wow, is the baby really here? Is this baby mine? I can’t believe it!!! While you waited nine long months for your baby to be born, you never really thought about how your life would be completely different. Even though all your friends told you how tired you would be, you never gave it much thought. When your friends told you that you would never have a minute to yourself, you thought, “I can’t wait to be a mother, who needs free time and if I want to go out, I will just take the baby with me.” Like anything else in life, until the actual moment comes you take everything with a grain of salt.
So, you haven’t taken a shower in two days, your shirt has spit-up on it, grandma had to go home, and make-up, what’s that? You have never been so tired in your life, but when your baby looks up and smiles your heart just melts. Here are some survival tips to make your transition to “real time mom” a little more manageable.
- Don’t forget to eat. You need your energy to take good care of your baby. Without fuel your car just won’t run!
- Try to stock up on healthy foods, soups, frozen gourmet meals, baked chicken, etc. If you have good food at your fingertips, chances are you will take better care of yourself.
- Plan a trip to the grocery store once a week without the baby; if possible. Buy lots of healthy fruits and vegetables. Wash them, put them in an attractive bowl in the refrigerator to have when that energy drain hits.
- If you can’t get to the grocery store alone, pick a time when you know the baby won’t need a feeding.
- When you go to the grocery store, buy yourself a special treat. A candy bar, gossip magazine, special food, something that is just a little indulgence and will make you feel good about taking care of yourself as well as your baby. A little self-pampering never hurt anyone!
- Even though you always did your own laundry, cleaned your own house, mowed your own lawn, don’t feel guilty about hiring a professional to help those first few months… sometimes you can’t do it all.
- Place bottled water for you around the house. It is very important to drink lots of fluids, especially if you are nursing. There is nothing more frustrating than sitting down to feed your baby and remembering you haven’t had anything to drink in hours.
- It’s a fact of life that you are going to be up all hours of the night feeding the baby (she doesn’t know what time it is). Try to make it fun. Turn on the comedy channel or rent some funny movies. There is nothing better than a good laugh to help you forget your fatigue.
- While everyone is very excited about meeting your new little bundle, don’t be afraid to say, “No visitors today.” Wait until you are ready to handle more than just you and your baby. Waiting a week or two for the introduction won’t matter a bit. Say, “thank you, I can’t wait for you to meet Lucy, but today just won’t work. I will call you soon.” And don’t feel guilty, you are not obligated to anyone except yourself, your baby and your husband.
- While Grandma is well-meaning and wants to be there to help you every second, establish some ground rules for visiting and hanging out from the very beginning. It will help ease any hard feelings that may come up. Be nice and let her know you understand how excited she is, but you need some time to ease into your new routine.
- If your message to Grandma does cause hard feelings, let your husband talk to her. Sometimes children have a better way of getting mom to understand as they lived with her their whole lives.
- Remember these words…”yes, thank you so much, you’re such a great friend!” These are the words you will use when a friend asks you if they can pick up your dry cleaning, get you a few things at the grocery store, and return your movies. If someone offers to help, throw away your “Super Mom Suit” and take them up on it. True friends help each other and chances are you would do the same for them.
- Lastly, sometimes a good cry is all you need. Give in to those tears. Transitioning into motherhood isn’t easy. Get out the tissue box, and let those tears flow. I promise you will feel better.
© Blythe Lipman Help! My Baby Came Without Instructions www.babyinstructions.com
