Nothing could have prepared me for my first month with a newborn.
The sleep deprivation, the crying (me, not the baby), the leaking boobs. Some bits I had mentally prepared for, some were a complete, and often horrifying, surprise.
Here’s my four cents worth of advice on surviving the first month as a new mama:
1. Don’t forget to eat
Nobody warned me that breastfeeding makes you thirsty and absolutely ravenous! To avoid having to order pizza at three in the morning while you have a baby clamped on to your boob, try having a large jug of water and some small snacks on hand throughout the day. Cheese cubes pretty much saved my life.
2. Cry if you feel like crying
I never saw the sudden-and-uncontrollable-tears thing coming. Throughout my pregnancy I imagined myself floating about with my newborn in a hazy glow of love. The reality was more like me trudging about with my newborn in an irritable, tired, discouraged and teary sort of confusion. I cannot urge you strongly enough to TAKE SOME TIME ALONE, even if it’s only a walk to the shop and back. Those fifteen minutes might just preserve your sanity.
3. Accept things will be different
Going from being a party of two to a party of three changes the dynamics of your relationship. Forever. When baby arrives you have to redefine yourselves as a couple who are now also parents. Try to spend some quality time with each other, eat together when baba is asleep, have a cuddle on the couch, and talk about something other than green poo and how gorgeous your little creation is.
4. Don’t become a prisoner in your own home
After I had my first baby I became something of a hermit, cloistered in my house feeling so tied to sleep and breastfeeding schedules that I ended up staying in my pyjamas all day. Trust me, you and your baby will be better off as a result of going out and about together. Step away from the Gina Ford book lady.
