Surviving the First Month After Giving Birth

Babies bring such joy, but as a mom, you go through a lot yourself. Between going through a pregnancy, giving birth, and now waking up consistently to meet the demands of your precious little one, it's vital that you take time for yourself. You will be able to get into a groove as time goes on. Here are some tips to get you through your first month following delivery:

Put the dishes down and rest

Look, we get it - you want to take advantage of free time to get the cleaning done during nap time. This is okay to do from time to time; however, it's important that you also catch up on sleep when you can. Most newborns wake up every two hours and that can take a toll on anyone. To beat sleep deprivation, you need naps. Some moms feel like a failure if they let the cleaning slip up. It's okay - leave the dishes in the sink, fold the laundry later, you will have time to do that all later. To meet the many demands of your newborn baby, you need to take care of yourself.

Get out of the house

It's easy for the days to fly by as you change diapers and feed your baby like clockwork - "What day is it again?" - but you should try your hardest to get out, even if it's a trip to the store or a friend's house. If you don't want to leave your baby, bring him with you. If you have a spouse or family member who you can leave your little one with, enjoy some time to yourself even if it's just one hour.

Eat healthy and exercise

If you're a mom, you can probably relate that you have forgotten to eat from time to time after giving birth. It can be hard to prepare meals when you feel like you don't have time for anything else. The best solution is to meal prep one or two times per week. Whether you breastfeed or formula feed, you should take care of your body.

Engaging in even a light form of physical activity will help your overall emotional well-being. According to Stanford's Children's Health, eating a healthy diet will promote recovery and healing.

Establish a routine

While it's not for sure that you will be able to set a routine, you can try. It will certainly help towards getting through the night. There's no doubt that newborns need to be fed often - they have small tummies and can't hold that much milk - Trying to set a routine during the early months is helpful. For example, you could get your baby into the routine of bath time, pajamas, reading or play around the same time every night. Of course, babies need mom's love and cuddles, but you can try to place him in his crib or bassinet when he seems tired. By doing this, you are helping him learn to fall asleep on his own.

Babywear when possible

Thanks to babywearing, it's possible to get some cleaning done. If you do babywear, you will just need the newborn insert. This method comes in handy so you can vacuum, do dishes, get laundry out of the way, or anything else you can safely do with your baby attached to you. Not to mention, your little one will love the warmth from being close to you, and the rocking and swaying motion of moving around. Who knows, you might be able to sneak a nap in after cleaning with the movement and warmth putting him to sleep.

Are you expecting or did you recently give birth? We want to hear your story. What do you find is helpful to you and what is the hardest? Let's help each other out with some tips! We're in this together, mamas!