Are you stressed with being a new mom? Here are some tips I have found that helped me manage stress

No one can prepare you for how you will feel or react to the stress of being a new mom. Having a baby is a lot of responsibility and I can’t tell you how scared I felt when I was home alone for the first time with my barely 5 lb baby and having no baby experience prior to having Olivia. I worried about everything that could happen while I was home alone with her and I tried to plan out what I would do in the event it happened to avoid panic. I started looking at stress management skills and tips for helping with this. The worst time to be experiencing stress is when your body is trying to recover and heal from delivery by natural birth or C section like I did. Not to mention all the hormones surging through your body as it tries to return to normal and regulate itself.

Here are the simple things I did to help with my stress levels.

1. I started getting up an extra 10 mins in the morning or staying up an extra 10 mins putting Olivia to bed. I used this time to listen to music and complete at least one chore I couldn’t while she was up. Dish, bottles, laundry (starting the washer, moving wet cloths to the dryer or folding cloths), take an extra long shower to focus on my mental state and spending time on myself.

2. I used a baby tracking app to help me keep track of when Olivia ate, had a wet diaper or pooped. This helps avoid panic when she cried and I couldn’t figure how how long ago she ate as she didn’t like to stick to a schedule for feeding. When my pediatrician would ask how often she ate or had a dirty diaper it was easy to reference.

3. I went to bed an 30 mins to an hour before I needed to so I could read, focus on planning the next day and set my alarm. I used a period cycle tracker which happen to have a metal health tab with music of nature. I would set the timer for 30 mins and as I laid down to sleep I would let my mind drift with the melody. This allowed me to get deeper and more restful sleep and as a new mom I would take all of it I could get.

4. When I started to feel stressed throughout my day I would stop everything and focus on my breathing. Doing deep and calming breaths as I focused on the world around me trying to center myself. This allowed me to stop thinking and getting anxious over what was stressing me out for a few moments and be present in the moment.

5. I added a 20-30 min walk with my dog everyday. This allowed me to get two things done at once. The dog could take out some of her energy and also go to the bathroom. I would listen to music and enjoy the fresh air, beautiful sky, and listen to the birds. This really helped me as I can leave Olivia with her dad and not have to worry about needing to stop what I was doing at a moment notice.

I hope these tips helped you relax and calm the stress your feeling as a new mom. Always remember right now won’t last forever and you will get past it. Just take a breath and stay present in the moment of enjoying life. You will always have chores that need to be done and cleaning that never stops, but your baby won’t be little forever. You don’t want to miss this time stressing over things.