You can feel overwhelmed at times, especially with a new baby..this little person is relying on you 100%, your partner has gone back to work, you're tired, you haven't showered in more days than you care to remember, the washing is piling up, the house is a mess, you haven't eaten a proper meal yet, you have visitors coming left right and centre, you don't even remember what day it is and to top it off you now have a baby crying. It's ok to ask for help! The washing can wait and the house can be messy, it's not important, do not stress yourself out about any of that :) A messy house is a sign you've been busy and people will always understand when you have a baby ha :) Yes you are a parent now but you are also still YOU! Even just 10 minutes to get some fresh air is all you need, invite a family member or close friend over to watch your little one so you can relax for a bit! If no-ones available then my tips are to wrap baby up and go for a walk, the fresh air will do you both the world of good and there's a good chance the motion of the pram may soothe them to sleep as well!
I remember one day after Abbies first lot of injections, she was fine until a few hours later when the screams and tears came, as soon as I saw her eyes fill up, that was it, I was crying with her, trying to calm her down and feeling helpless! I ended up having to walk around with her for a long time before she finally settled, but only for 5 mins then she woke up crying and the process started again for the next hour, I ended up being propped up on loads of cushions sat on the bed as my arms and back were aching and she stayed asleep like that..the moment she opened her eyes and asked for milk was such a relief! She fed and we both fell asleep! I remember being in that moment and feeling so overwhelmed, I just wanted to take the pain away for her!
There have been other times when i've handed her over to Ben or my Mum and stood outside for a few minutes for a breather, it really helps just to take a moment to relax :)
My tips for any parent is try everything you can think of and go through this checklist..
- Are they hungry?
- Are they cold?
- Are they hot?
- Have they got a temperature?
- Burp them
- Go for a walk
- Go for a drive
- Cuddle them
- Rock them
- Shush them
- Sing to them
- Call someone to help, sometimes babies sense you're stressed, I've tried getting Abbie to sleep for an hour with no luck, passed her to Ben and she fell asleep within 10 seconds!
- If all this fails, put them somewhere safe and walk away for a moment, take some deep breaths and go back to them :)
Babies rarely cry for no reason, it's their only way of communicating! So when you're feeling stressed and in the moment, remember they are only small for a little while and they aren't crying to annoy you or stress you out, they just want to let you know there's something wrong :). Before we know it they're going to be teenagers, answering us back and refusing to do anything! Ha :)
Without sounding patronising, keep smiling mummy's & daddy's, you are all doing a great job!! :)
