Newborn Baby Advice – Learn to Say Yes!

A new baby brings the potential for debilitating joy…and debilitating exhaustion. The best advice I ever heard from a mother of many – ‘if you want to thrive then learn to say yes!”.

• Yes, when a friend offers to help; yes I would love you to pick up a coffee and come over and unpack the dishwasher..
• Yes I would really appreciate not having to cook tonight, just nothing too spicy…
• Yes help … I have no clean clothes left.

When offered the loads of advice from well wishers say:

“thanks for that advice, ”.

If you do or do not take it on is up to. This helps to avoid explaining your rationale for you caregiving choices to everyone..

If overwhelmed by visitors:

•  ask kindly if you could just have a day with your baby occasionally to allow you and your baby the precious time together to connect.

Conversly, you may feel isolated;

• be open to joining the new parents’ group
• saying yes to catching up with friends. It may take 2 hours to organise yourself and you and baby may only last half and hour, but hey, better than no social time at all.

Self care while parenting is essential. Do something lovely for yourself EVERY day. Keep it small so you will do it:

• smell a flower
• Burn a scented candle
• Sleep while someone is there to cuddle your baby
• Listen to your favourite music
• Stay in you Pj’s if you want!

Adjusting as a new parent. You may experience a range of emotions as you adjust, don’t’ be afraid to talk to family or friends, but if they are not understanding, your best supports:

• Your nurse
• Your local doctor
• Your hospital

There are a range of services to help you things are not going as you anticipated. The reason you don’t know about them is because you have never needed them before! You nurse and your local doctor know how to support new parents from a bad day through to anxiety and depression.

Some reasons why it can be tougher than you anticipated:

• Your function at your best on unbroken sleep
• Your enjoy order and control and babies interfere with that
• Your relationship was a bit niggly prechild and the relationship shifts add more challenges
• You don’t have fiends with children or family around to support you
• Challenges such as feeding or and unsettled baby can hijack your every thought
• You are not eating well because you are so preoccupied by parenting.
• The pram you thought would be great, is impossible to lift into the car!

Yes babies are divine but the work in care and responsibility combined with exhaustion can emotionally derail many new parents. Don’t hold back on asking for help and remembering to say yes I need a little help. So then you can use your precious energy in forming the most amazing relationship of your life!