Becoming a new mom is a very precious experience but it can also be a very stressful one. Once you go into the postpartum phase, there are a lot of challenges that can cause frustration and anxiety. I remember the first few months when I had no idea how to keep up with any aspect of my life. Work, school, new baby, being a wife, all of those aspects were a battle. It took a lot to find that balance and to learn to navigate new motherhood. Honestly, even to this day I am learning new ways to navigate through life because as kids grow, they develop new needs.

So, how do you do it? First of all, do not try to do it all. It does not work. You will just burn yourself out and feel bad about yourself. You must learn to have realistic expectations of yourself and of others. Once you are realistic of what can and cannot be done, then you can navigate through being a new mom.

Keeping up as a mom

As a new mom, life will feel overwhelming at first. You will always question whether you are doing the right thing. There will also be times when you make mistakes. However, you must not let it all get to you. If you are making sure your baby is fed, bathed, and rested, you are doing many things right already. Those things sound simple but they are not, especially if you are still trying to recover and heal rom the birth.

Yes, there are milestones that your baby is expected to meet but many times those milestones are unrealistic. The fact of the matter is that every baby is different, and they will progress at their own speed. So, in order to keep up as a mom, make sure your baby is fed, clean and sleeping well. Other than that, you will want to make your own life is a little easier to prevent burnout and to make some quality time for your little bundle of joy. Here are some tips on how to simplify some of the major time consuming household activities..

Laundry

Laundry can take up a lot of time when you have a new baby. There will be many spit ups, as well as diaper blow outs. Therefore, make sure that you have enough baby clothes so that you do not have to do laundry every day. If finances are an issue, purchase things at a cheaper rate from Poshmark or Mercari. Also, there are Facebook groups that offer free baby things including clothing. You will want to do laundry two to three times a week and at times that will seem like too much. Therefore, if you can get your hands on some extra baby clothes, it would be very handy in the long run.

Don’t listen to people who tell you not to buy many clothes because your baby will grow out of them quickly. While that is true, you do not want to end up with your baby only having a diaper to wear for the day because he spit up on all five of his outfits. When you are in a bind, you need that extra onesie.

Cleaning

Those days when you used to clean the house in one setting are over. Even if you have a babysitter, the baby will want his mommy after an hour or two. I used to have my husband watch my son while I cleaned and within thirty minutes my son would be in tears crying for me to pick him up. It was heartbreaking to listen to. So, I had to take a whole new approach to cleaning.

First, I had to divide my cleaning into a few days. On one of the days, I vacuumed and cleaned the house. The next day, I wiped the dust and organized, while on the third day I cleaned the bathroom. I also had my son on me while I wiped dust and organized. What will be of help in the long run is putting things back as you use them and teaching your household to follow that rule.

Food

Next, try to prepare food for a few days. For example, cook on a Wednesday and make it last until Saturday. Then, on Saturday you make enough food to last you until Tuesday. If you run out of pre-made food, try to order in a pizza or Chinese on one of the days. However, if cooking is just not an option and you have a little extra money, then use a food delivery service such as Hello Fresh.

Also, simplify your breakfast and dinner so that you only need to worry about lunch. For instance, pre-make pancakes and waffles and freeze them. This way, if you are not feeling like having cereal, you can pull out a waffle and a boiled egg with a banana. This will keep you full for a few hours. As for the dinner, make peanut butter jelly sandwiches or yogurt and granola bowls. It is filling and quick for those super busy days.

Keeping up with the baby

Being wise with your time is important because you want to have time available to spend with your little one. You will need to make time for reading, playing and helping your baby develop. Every day you should make sure that your baby has some active playtime. Furthermore, you will want to take your baby out in the nature. Being in nature is important because it introduces them to a new environment with new sights and sounds that are intriguing to them. Finally, you will want to have meaningful play time where your little one can learn new words. This is why fine tuning your schedule is so important.

Baby Time Suggestions

Reading Time

Read a book to your baby, a book that they can play with as well. This means a board book would be the best option until they learn not to rip and bend the pages. Now, babies do not have a long attention span so do not expect long reading sessions. You can do 5 to 15 minutes of what I call book exploration. We take a few books out and I attempt to read one of them. Your baby may listen and follow along or your baby may take the book from you. The point of this activity is to introduce your baby to books and to start working on language development.

Floor Play Time

To play on the floor you can utilize their baby toys, or you can use learning resources. When you play with your little one be sure to use words to describe what you are playing with. For example, if you are sorting shapes, say the shape type out loud. You can also sing songs with your little one which most babies love. Make it more fun by using gestures and being extra animated.

Nature Walk

It is important to get outside with your little angel. You can use your yard, a park or go for a stroller ride around the block. When they are outside, they see new objects and hear new sounds. You can make it more fun by pointing where the sounds are coming from. For instance, if there is a bird sound and you see a bird, point to it and try to imitate the sound.

Keeping up as a wife

During the first year, it is very easy to drift apart from your significant other. This is mainly the case because both of you have a lot on your plate. You have this new little human to take care off and you have to make a living. It is a lot. Enough to leave you overwhelmed. Therefore, give each other some grace and try to find some alone time. Maybe when the baby goes to sleep, you can watch your favorite show or give each other a neck rub.

If you have friends and family near by, maybe they can babysit while you guys go out for lunch or dinner. However, if you do not have a babysitter, go out somewhere fun as a family. Sometimes, you just need to get out of the house and away from daily responsibilities. Maybe you can go to a park or for a beach walk so that you can also get some nature experiences for the entire family.

Keeping up as a friend

You will not be able to keep up with your friendships during that first year because there is a lot going on. However, your true friends will continue to check on you and they will offer their help to you. They will also be available to spend time when you are ready. If your friends are impatient and lack understanding for your role as a new mom, then do not waste your time as those people are not your true friends.

If you drift apart from your friends due to your new busy mom schedule, there are also Facebook groups where you will find a lot of support from moms in similar positions. You can seek out support and you can share your struggles with other moms.

Keeping up as an employee

This is a tough one and I will be writing a lengthy article that covers this topic in-depth. Meanwhile, to keep up as an employee, you have to be able to prioritize and you must be organized. This is the case whether you work from home or have to go to work in person. You should probably get a planner and try scheduling house chores and work tasks that way as long as time is allocated, the tasks should not get missed.

Keeping up as a student

Keeping up as a student is a lot like keeping up as an employee. You must be organized, and you must prioritize. You also need to know your deadlines and you need to communicate to your professors any issues that may arise. Chances are that your professor will work with you as long as you communicate your struggles.

Conclusion

New mammas, you got this! Give yourself some grace and realize that you are doing the best that you can. Please do not get hard on yourself and do not expect for everything to be perfect. There will be challenges but you will overcome them. Meanwhile, enjoy your little one because the time sure does fly by fast.