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There are a few things that every new mum needs in her life to avoid mum overload, let’s take a look at four ways to get back on track…
No one can ever prepare you for how it feels when you become a mother. Sure they tell you all about that overwhelming feeling of love. You will have heard a copious amount of comments regarding sleep deprivation. Opinions will be fired at you from all kinds of directions, some worth listening to, some not. You hear about that maternal instinct. When you’re pregnant, you wonder whether all of it is true. Will you have those feelings of love? Will you and your baby bond? Then the baby arrives at an unexpected moment in time, and then you just know.
Hopefully, many of you are nodding along as you read this. However, it is fair to say that there are a few things that every new mum needs in her life to avoid mum overload. With that in mind, here are four ways to get you back on track if you feel the strain.
Get back on track when you are struggling with mum overload
A good coffee
Listen up; you need good coffee in your life. Or tea. It can come in all different ways. You can have it iced in the summer, hot and black in the winter. You can have it skinny or milky, sometimes with a sprinkling of chocolate. Coffee is coffee, though, and it does the same thing. This will be great to give you a boost in the morning.
That first sip of coffee of the day makes you feel, for just a moment, that everything is okay. That you don’t still have your pyjamas on after lunch. Things will get better. A good cup of tea can have the same effect. Embrace it and allow yourself that five minutes.
The holy grail that is SLEEP!
Sometimes when your partner offers to take over childcare to go and have a nap, you have the same feeling as winning the lottery. It certainly does for a new mum anyway. Everyone warns you about sleep deprivation, don’t they? Sometimes they may even say it with a sense of smugness in their voice. Like they know exactly what lies ahead, and you have no clue. No matter what they say, no one can prepare you for those night feeds and cries.
Sometimes women are blessed with babies that sleep through the night straight away. This is rare, and the majority of us will have to get through the day on next to no sleep. Getting naps while the baby sleeps is the best advice anyone can give you.
As a new mum, you do need your energy, all joking aside. It’s not easy in those first few years of motherhood, that is for sure and possibly when you feel the mum overload the most. So rest when you can and don’t worry too much about housework or chores.
Friends of the mum kind
Every mum needs a good support network. One of the best ones you can get is a few mum friends. These women will understand precisely what you mean when you say you have had a tough day. Those mums can sympathise with you and relate. Your husband or partner may do their best, but they won’t ever know how it feels unless they stay at home with the baby themselves.
A mum friend can offer support and advice, and they can be on hand for a coffee or playdates to help break up the day. Baby brain is a real thing, and having mum friends around can help ease you back into the world of the living. It’s not easy at first, and if you don’t already have them making friends might be challenging.
Make an effort to talk to mothers at playgroups or when you get your baby weighed. The chances are they will be feeling the same. You will bond over poo explosions, drinking wine, and lack of sleep. These friendships will last a lifetime and can be the ultimate lift when you feel at your worst.
The ability to laugh at herself
Finally, all new mothers need the ability to laugh at themselves. You will find yourself in situations where your little ones will wee on you. Or the most disgusting poo explosions you will ever see. You may have just done your hair for your baby to be sick all over it. Or just got ready to leave the house only for you need to change your stained clothes or change a nappy. Just remember that they won’t stay small for long, so enjoy it and laugh at the funny moments.
Feeling mum overload can stop you from seeking the happy, so laugh! Even when it doesn’t feel right to. You will feel better in no time.
Motherhood is a crazy rollercoaster of emotions and memories; make sure you enjoy every moment of it.
Win a Stojo On-The-Go Collapsible Coffee Cup
To help you get back on track when struggling with mum overload, we have a Stojo On-The-Go Collapsible Coffee Cup to giveaway.
PRIZE: Stojo On-The-Go Collapsible Coffee Cup
To enter complete the Gleam widget below, all entries are optional and each one completed will gain you more entries into the random draw.
Stojo On-The-Go Collapsible Coffee Cup
