Hey mamas! It's almost Mother's Day! I hope that you all have an amazing, pampered, day full of doing what you love.
Ah, the newborn stage. It's can be the sweetest, quietest, and loveliest time when you're snuggled up with a sleeping newborn on your chest and a hot chocolate next to you watching a movie. It can also be a nightmare when you're covered (yes, covered) in sticky breast milk, your hormones are raging, your hair hasn't been washed in days, you are surrounded by laundry, baby toys, and dishes, you're still sore form giving birth, and you have a tiny, confusing and fragile person screaming in your face. Let's just say the combination of that scene I just described and lack of sleep made for a very rage-filled Megan sometimes. (I'm sorry Chris.)
thought this might help paint a picture.
I wanted to write a little guide on some of my favorite ways to make myself feel like me again during the newborn stage. These are practical things - I know some young mamas don't have someone to watch the baby while they go get a mani pedi or a massage. These are simple little ways that you can make yourself refreshed while doing normal life things.
1. Get out of the house. We took Ben out to grocery stores, the mall, or for walks when he was mere weeks old. We were living in a tiny little third floor apartment for the first 4 months of his life, and it could make me stir crazy in just a few hours with the thin walls, especially if he was crying and I knew that other people in the building could hear. It helped me to just get him bundled up and go to Target, or even just drive around and grab myself a mocha and listen to music.
2. During nap time, do something you enjoy. For many of us, the whole "Sleep when the baby is sleeping, honey bun!" advice that you receive just doesn't stick. There's worrying that the baby is sleeping safely, a messy house, and heaps of laundry to fold because... BLOWOUTS. (That being said, if you can take a nap with baby... DO IT. YOU NEED IT. SLEEP.) Take 10 or 20 minutes to sit down with a journal to write what's stressing you out, or stretch. Call a friend, paint a picture, write a poem, eat some cheese. Whatever makes you happy and makes you feel like you can handle the day.
3. Make cleaning fun. When baby is ready for a nap, put him or her in their bassinet and turn on their mobile and the baby monitor. Close the door and turn on some music while you clean. Some of the ways I love making cleaning fun are playing music, listening to podcasts, or setting a timer for myself to try and speed clean as much as I can in a half an hour.
4. If you're feeling up to it, go for a walk. Find a nature trail or a nice park that you love, grab your favorite coffee, and take your baby for a walk in the stroller. Getting outside and getting a breath of fresh air always helps me feel recharged again. I know this was tough for me at times because it was cold, so it doesn't always work for everyone. If that's the case, go for a walk at the mall or at Target!
5. LISTEN TO PODCASTS! I will probably talk about my podcast obsession too frequently on this blog, but you guys... These helped me a lot. I felt like no one I was really close to really understood what I was going through - luckily, I have found a few really amazing mom friends and we can ask each other questions or share stories, but sometimes it's amazing to just listen to mom podcasts while you're cleaning to feel like you have community. (Coffee + Crumbs and the Mom Hour are my favs!) You can listen to podcasts anywhere and any time, so try it out yourself! You might love it.
6. If you're able to, get ready for the day. Eat breakfast, put a little makeup on, wear something comfortable that makes you feel cute, and enjoy it. I know that when Ben was a newborn, I did this sometimes but a lot of the time, I didn't eat enough and I would feel stay sloppy all day. It made me feel like I never had a routine, and not eating enough kept me crabby.
I hope you're doing okay, mommas with newborns. It can be totally amazing, but it's also not easy! Lack of sleep by itself really impacts me, and if you add in a whole lot of change and responsibility, it can be a recipe for disaster. Make sure to put a little time in for you during naps or before bed.
You've got this, and you're an amazing mama!
Love,
megan (the early bird MAMACITAAAA!)
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