It seems like never before, has motherhood and pregnancy, been so intense and overwhelming.
There's no doubt that when a baby is born, a mother is born too. After labouring your baby (yes - it's labour!) you then have to nurse baby day and night, nurture them, change them, be at their beck and call.
Ofcourse, that's motherhood. But aside from the physical demands and changes, there's the mental transition too. While we love them, and it's all worth it, it's simply exhausting. Here's some tips to make motherhood easier...
1) Build your tribe - find other mums - whether that's on social media groups, antenatal courses or pregnancy exercise classes. Surround yourself with people who get it and lose the people who don’t.
2) Do a Hynobirthing course. Not only will you meet other mums, you will learn skills for life. I used my breathing skills to breastfeed - it was painful. I used the relaxation tapes to soothe my babies to sleep. And I use relaxation techniques when life gets too much, when dealing with a toddler tantrum for example. It's like a gift that keeps on giving.
2) Batch cook - Cook as many meals as you can before baby arrives and freeze them. You'll be so grateful when baby is here, to have some good home-cooked grub that you can just throw in the oven.
3) The Night Feed- I only wish I knew about this app with my first two. This amazing app has tonnes to read, people to chat to and has white noise sounds to help soothe baby. You can even time your feeds with an integrated timer.
4) Get out - You may not feel like it. You may look like you've been dragged through a bush backwards, but fresh air and daylight is sooo good for you. Especially in the morning - it really helps with your circadian rhythms. If you're able to get out in nature, all the better. Spending time in nature reduces our cortisol (stress levels) by 20%.
5) Say yes - This is something I'm still working on, five years in! When friends, family, neighbours, whoever, offer you help. Big or small. Say YES. Take all the help you can get. Consider it a hug. Everyone wants to hold baby, but who wants to hold mum?
They say it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes a village to make a mum. Share the load, mentally and physically. You’ll feel better for it!