Nursing bras

Coping as a New Mommy

This previously published article is now available for FREE reprint! Simply include my name and byline. (Please note: all names have been changed for the electronic version.)

The night before Anna Caldwell was released from the hospital, the realization of her new role as mommy threatened to overwhelm her. In the weeks leading up to delivery, she’d grown increasingly more confident, preparing the nursery, making plans to breast-feed and perusing current parenting literature. However, that night, “I had my emotional ‘moment’ when anxiety hit and I couldn’t control it. I didn’t want to take anything because I was attempting to breast-feed. My husband was going home to sleep because he has back problems (rods, pins and fused areas of his spine) and wasn’t doing well sleeping in the hospital’s chair,” Anna recalls. “But when he saw how upset I was, he ended up staying the night and we shared the hospital bed together and it was the best moment ever and I will never forget it.”  

As mommies-to-be, nothing can truly prepare us for the transition from pushing to parenthood. We eagerly await our baby’s arrival, reading books about birth, labor and baby-care, taking classes and talking with friends, yet each woman’s response to motherhood is as individual and unique as her little newborn.

A new mom’s first line of defense is a solid network of trustworthy helpers. Know now that the laundry and house-cleaning will pile up quickly. Other areas for concern are meal preparation and care of siblings and pets. Stock your freezer with at least two weeks’ worth of meals, and prepare a pre-delivery gameplan by assigning household tasks to reliable helpers. Aide can come in the form of grandmothers, sisters, cousins, neighbors, friends and church connections. When choosing your network of support people, think quality–not quantity. You don’t want a houseful of houseguests, just a few empathetic, unobtrusive helpmates who understand that ironing and folding laundry or mopping the floor are possibly the most caring gifts they can give.

Read more...