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Parenting

22nd Jul 2018

Survey shows it can take five months for new mums to feel confident with their baby

It certainly takes a while.

HerFamily

Those first few weeks and even months are certainly whirlwind.

Indeed, a survey shows that it takes almost five months – four months and 23 days to be exact – for women to come to terms with motherhood and begin to feel more like themselves again.

The research, commissioned by Munchkin, says that by this milestone many mums feel more confident about their baby’s sleeping patterns and and health.

A spokesperson for Munchkin said: “Becoming a mum for the first time leads to a flurry of mixed emotions and it can naturally be completely overwhelming. It’s one of the best things that can happen to someone but it can understandably be very scary too.

“What the results show is that, no matter how daunting motherhood can seem, mums have incredible resources to get through the early days and feel like they have things under control.

“It’s a massive change and the flood of self-doubt or worry as to how they’ll cope is perfectly natural – but the fact they care so much only proves what good mums they eventually will develop into.”

The research also revealed that one in four pregnant mothers felt overwhelmed before having their babies and 57 per cent admitted that the first few months of motherhood passed by in a blur.

Six in ten moms worry that they are incapable of motherhood responsibilities and one in five mothers felt that their partner settled into the routine of parenthood quicker.

The spokesperson continued: “It’s perhaps reassuring that so many mums went through the same period of worry as it shows just how common a reaction it is to feel that you might not cope.

“What is important is not being afraid to voice those worries and let your friends, family and support network help you as much as they can.

“It’s always going to take time to adjust, but the more ways they can find to help them cope, the quicker that feeling of confidence in being a mum will develop. Those first few months can be understandably a real struggle, but it’s important to try and savour them too – as the results show, in hindsight most mums wish they’d been able to worry a bit less.”