Adjusting, coping and LOVING the first months

So You have wanted, waited and dreamt of the day You would meet your new Baby. The day finally comes when You leave the hospital with your arms full of love and arrive home. BAM! your Baby wakes, cries, poos and spews simultaneously. Reality.hits.hard.......where's that nurses buzzer :-)

Coming home with a newborn is nothing short of wonderful. It sees your dream become a reality. So how can You make this transition as smooth as possible?

• Prepare yourself. Read a wide range of materials, from a wide range of sources, and be prepared to take bits and pieces from all views, and sometimes throw them all out the window and trust yourself. Some things might work one week and not the next so if You have a range of ideas You can employ them as the need arises.

• Prepare your home. Getting the space ready for your new Baby is exciting and if You have other children already, a great way to create the environment to talk about the new Baby, where it will sleep and the changes that will come. Be sure to have the Baby clothes washed, sorted and ready to be used. 

• Pack away your clothing that will not fit You, or are out of season. This will save You the confusion of what to wear, and also the frustration.

• Fill your freezer. Towards the end of your pregnancy when You cook a freezable meal, double it and freeze ready for those nights when the Baby just demands You to sit and feed. Also cook some treats for those visitors who pop in unexpectedly and suggest a cuppa......believe me it happens!

• Prepare your partner. Discuss with one another how You are going to work together to get the most out of the early days of a newborn. Sleep support is something that has worked fantastically for us with night and day shifts, with me doing the nights till 5am, and my husband taking over from 5, allowing me to switch off, knowing the children are being cared for.

• It is also vital for first time parents to discuss things such and how You hope to feed your baby,  disposable or cloth nappies, parenting ideas and time out as individuals and as a couple. All these steps will help to make your leap into parenthood a lot smoother, knowing You are both on the same page.

• Call on your support network. When people offer to help, they mean it, they REALLY DO want to help. Allow them to help, be it with practical things like housework or meals, or ask them to hold your Baby so You can feel productive and complete a task from start to finish.

• Be selfish. Remember to have a happy, content Baby, You must yourself be happy and content. Take time for You. Time to feel like a women, time to feel beautiful. Take a longer shower, go for a walk, organise coffee catch ups without your little person. You will return with more energy to give to your Mothering.

Most of all.....breathe. Smell and soak up this stage of your parenting as in a blink of an eye it will be gone and You will miss it. Remember what you are doing is important, the most important and rewarding job in the world.

Yours in Mothering
Sandra


Author Bio - Sandra, wife and Mumma to 4 little ones, 8, 5, 2, 6mths. I love being a Mumma and enjoy gardening, sewing, cooking and reading. My parenting journey is forever changing as I grow with my family and learn.

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