Sometimes having a baby = no sleep = blurry brain = random and uncontrollable tears.
Becoming a mum is the best thing in the world! But as much as you love, love, love your new little button, the lack of sleep makes it easy to slip into a ‘what the hell did I do?’, kind of state.
When your partner goes back to work and the amount of visitors popping in dies down, you might feel a sense of loneliness and isolation, which can cause all kinds of mood swings and weird thoughts. So, I’ve spent the last few months figuring out how to best stay sane when having a newborn baby.
Here are my tips. Unfortunately, they all involve the F-bomb, that’s because it’s the one word that ALWAYS makes me feel better. Here goes;
1. Get the ‘F’ out of your house
Have at least one thing to do every single day that requires you to leave your house. Seeing other mums and having play dates is one of the best ways to have some adult interaction, but also to vent and feel normal about your new life adjustments. It’s surprising how good you feel after a playdate with your friends. You will also feel proud of yourself that you made it out of the house and back again in one piece. Your partner probably won’t understand this feeling of achievement, but have a quiet high-five to yourself anyway, good on YOU!
2. Get the ‘F’ out of your PJs
Try (and I know it’s hard to make time for this) but at least TRY and have a shower before your partner leaves in the morning. Then, (this is the real biggie), try to put on a touch of makeup! You would be surprised how a spot of Mac Concealer and a dash of Nars Bronzer can make you feel a million dollars. Even if you’re planning on spending the rest of your day in the lounge room, probably covered in spit-up and poo. At least you’ll look pretty while you’re doing it!
3. Go the ‘F’ to sleep
Try to sleep when they sleep. Even if it’s 20 minutes, it will make you feel so much better and you’ll have the extra energy to tackle what the afternoon may bring.
4. Get an F-ing outlet
Do one thing a day that makes you happy, just for you. I try to paint, or go for a walk, write a blog, read, try a new recipe (my husband is probably reading this thinking, ‘well that’s a lie’). Whatever it is, make sure it’s something that is just for you.
5. Get the ‘F’ off Facebook
This is the toughest one of them all. You can easily spend hours on Facebook, scrolling through the supposed ‘perfectly happy lives of your childless friends’, which will only make you feel depressed. Try and remember how lucky YOU are and BE IN THE MOMENT! They grow up in the blink of an eye. You don’t want to be looking at your old school friend’s festival selfies and miss your child growing up!
These are my tips, but even if you try to follow all of them, you’ll still have days when you cry and you don’t really know why. That’s when you get your pillow and yell into it really loudly, “F$%^&&&^%%!!!!” You’ll feel better for sure.
Hayley xxx