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First Year Coping Strategies for the New Mom
Unfortunately, new babies do not come with an instruction manual. Being a new mommy can be a difficult ordeal at
times, but there are many things that you can do to cope with the stress of being a new mom.
Making sure that you have a support system will greatly help you to cope with the stress. Having someone that can
help you not only with emotional support, but with basic everyday tasks such as cooking, cleaning and baby care can
go a long way with stress relief. This support system can consist of anyone from your spouse to friends or a family
member. If you are financially stable enough, you may even consider hiring a nanny or housekeeper to help you with
these tasks. Even having someone to help you for just an hour or two a day can be a great help. Do not be afraid to
ask people for help either. Most of these people in your life will understand what you are going through and will
be more than happy to help.
When it comes to your everyday responsibilities, another way to help cope with being a new mother is to lower your
expectations of what you can accomplish in a day. Once you bring baby home, your life is drastically going to
change. Caring for your newborn baby is going to take up a lot of your time, and you cannot expect to accomplish
everything that you may have done before. Relax, and do not worry so much if you do not get everything done in a
day. Your chores will be there tomorrow. Your top priority is now caring for your baby.
It is important to remember though, that other family members have needs as well. Your spouse or partner, and other
children are going to feel the strain of the new baby as well. They may feel jealous or abandoned by all the time
that you are spending with the new baby. This may cause them to "act out" in different ways, and can add to the
stress that you are feeling. By making sure that you include your other family members in things, and spending time
with each of them, you can greatly reduce the amount of stress that you have.
Establishing a routine as early as possible will also help you to cope with the stress that can come from being a
new mommy. While you cannot expect to immediately set a newborn on a schedule, gradually working towards that
schedule can help things go much more smoothly. Setting up a bedtime routine is the best way to start this
schedule. Make sure than when it is bedtime, you do the same things nightly. This could be rocking baby in a
rocking chair, bathing right before bed, or even just singing lullabies. This will help baby to associate these
things with sleeping.
Another way to reduce stress is to not worry too much about what other people are saying. At this time, people are
going to be filled with advice on how you should care for your child. Take these opinions with a great of salt. You
know what is best for your baby. If you feel that you should pick your child up every time that they cry, then you
should do it. Do not concern yourself with those that say you are going to spoiled your child. If they say you
should let your child cry itself to sleep, and you don't agree with that, then hold your child until it sleeps. It
is your baby, and your decisions to make on how to raise it. If something is not working for you, than change it,
regardless of what others may be telling you.
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