How to survive the first 6 months of Motherhood

A few bits of advice from fellow Mums on how to navigate the first few months of Motherhood.

Keep talking

You may feel that you have to appear like you’ve got your shit together, but talking is really important. Talk to your partner, friends, family, anyone you feel comfortable talking to about it. Sometimes it’s easier talking to a stranger and you might find yourself offloading to a fellow Mum at the local baby group just because they’ll ‘get it’. That’s awesome! Don’t try to battle on by yourself and hold it all in because it will come out eventually (hormones will make sure of that) Having a baby is hard, don’t put too much pressure on yourself to feel perfect and love life 100% of the time. If seeing other Mums seemingly having it all together is having a negative impact on your mood then take a break from social media and focus on you, comparing your feature film to someone else highlight reel will never work.

Go with your gut

“I think it’s so important to trust your gut instincts as a new Mum and try to take peoples advice with a pinch of salt as what works for one baby won’t work for everyone.” - Samantha

Get out of the house

Fresh air, a change of scenery, adult contact - these all help! If you’re having a tough day then get yourself and baby out of that door, even a 10 minute walk will help you clear your mind and come back feeling better.

Put yourself first

This might sound like a strange thing to say when you’ve just brought a new baby into the world, but as Mums we are notorious for putting our own needs at the bottom of the pile. We aren’t able to look after anyone else to our full abilities if we don’t look after ourselves first. Make this a healthy habit from the beginning and it will help you navigate Motherhood.

“Be kind to yourself. Motherhood is hard. It changes everything about you - your body, your routine, your home, your emotions… it’s ok to find it hard. It’s ok to ask for help. Make sure you are looking after yourself as well baby.” - Ellie

“You will be on auto pilot for the first few weeks. Check in with your own body as often as you can. I didn't realise how bad off I was until around 7 weeks after birth.
Baby blues are different to PND. You will experience a huge drop in hormones around 3 - 5 days after birth. Make sure you have people around you to help you.
You WILL feel like you've lost your mind on multiple occasions. It's normal. Know how to ask for help, a happy mum is a happy baby.” - Lauren

Babywearing

“I couldn’t be without a baby sling, worked for both mine and they are asleep in literally a minute of being in one! Lifesaver!” - Samantha

You don’t have to share

“Having my 2nd at the end of the lockdown meant no visitors for the first couple of weeks which gave us very special time to get to know our new little family…” - Samantha

It can be overwhelming trying to fit everyone in for visits. Of course everyone wants to come and meet the new baby but make sure that it fits in around you. Take it at your own pace, if you’re not feeling it then postpone - any good friend or loving relative will understand.

Sleep/rest when baby sleeps

“Co-sleeping for naps and bedtime will help you rest, even if you're reading while they sleep.
Treat naps the same as bedtime. White noise machine, blackout curtains. Although newborns will sleep anywhere, after 6 weeks a proper sleep space helps.” - Lauren

“The one piece of advice I heard but didn’t take and wish I had: take it easy, nap when your baby naps, it’s okay to watch box sets when your baby nurses for the sixth time that morning etc. Basically just let yourself do the amazing task of raising a human and forget all the other stuff - it will all be there waiting for you when you’re ready.” - Louisa

Take your time

“Take time to just be a mum - there is no rush to get back out there or do all the million baby activities on offer - you will never get those early days back of getting to know your precious newborn.” - Louisa

This is such good advice, don’t feel pressured into rushing out and attending every group going. When you’re ready look for one or two that will fit around your lifestyle and that you think you would enjoy. Remember that the main benefit to these groups in the first few months is for you - baby will probably feed/sleep the whole time! It’s a good opportunity to surround yourself with other Mums who are going through the same as you. Get to know them, set up a WhatsApp group and chat away to each other during the 2am feeds.

I hope that you’ve found this useful and are able to see that you’re not in this alone. There are millions of new Mums out there going through the same as you, we’re all in this together. If you’re struggling then reach out and keep talking until it feels better.

Have you got any tips or advice to share? Drop them in the comments below for fellow Mums to read through.