Ten tips to help new moms stop crying in their coffee: Having a baby? How can you “get” what having and caring for a baby is like, until it happens? You really can’t. I found the transition from working full-time, having an active social life, a bit of fun money and a lot of free me time …to being a mom, earthquaking, crying into my coffee, hard!
I wrote these ten helpful tips to help other women who are struggling with their new job title, “superwoman” aka Mom. It is really hard to go from being a professional person who has routines and coffee breaks to being a 24/7 human feeding machine!
Once I had finally created a nice mommy routine, my twelve weeks of maternity leave were up! Finding daycare was one of the hardest projects I ever accomplished. How could I find someone that would care for my son the way I needed him to be cared for? And then once I returned to work, how would I be able to manage my job, baby, home, and social life. Who was I kidding?
No one can describe well enough what being a Mom is like, you just have to get through it. Good luck. It’s the best ride in the park!
1. Get Organized
You know what I’m talking about, girls. Ideally, this happens before you bring home your bundle of joy from the hospital. I’m hoping that your nesting instinct took over and you realized this was the last time you would be completely alone to get your home organized. Or rather, as I like to call it, motivated by intense fear that you will never get anything done after the baby comes. If not, no worries, you can still do it.
Clean out your closets, kitchen cabinets, and drawers, and donate or trash what you don’t need, don’t wear, and don’t use. You can’t take it with you. The less you have, the less you will have to reorganize later. Designate a place for everything, and make sure your husband/partner is aware of where that place is. Label it if you have to. Take pictures of the inside of your cabinets so your husband knows where things should go, I’m not kidding! Choose a spot, such as, soap goes in the basket in the linen closet, diapers in the baby’s closet, then you will always know what you need and where to put it. Babies don’t need much, and if your house is small like mine, less truly is more.
2. Get Over It
I’m talking about your pregnancy and your birth experience. When people come to visit you and see your new precious baby, don’t spend too much time on the labor pain you experienced or the sleep deprivation. Is sharing that kind of information refreshing you? No, and its bringing down the rest of the room too! Talk about your baby, and the amazing attachment you have for him or her. If you need help or are feeling stressed (maybe you are experiencing a little post-partum depression) ask for help, ask for what you need. Ask for diapers, or a meal, or help with the laundry or a few hours of babysitting so you can catch your breath. People can’t read your mind you have to ask for what you need.
3. Get a Routine
I mean like the routine you “had” before the baby. You would get up, go for a jog, take a long (ahh) leisurely shower, get dressed in something cute and fashionable, do your hair and makeup, grab your nonfat vanilla latte from Starbucks, and be on your way to work. Those were good days, weren’t they?
First step in creating a new routine, is giving up your old one. Letting go of the past is big. Your baby didn’t ask to be brought into this world, you brought him here, so don’t resent him for interrupting your sleep, sex life, waistline, bank account, etc. Take a deep breath and remember that all this baby needs is love. Change is hard for some, and even harder for others.
