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Article Tips to keep calm in those first few weeks of motherhood

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Being pregnant for the first time can be an exciting and memorable experience, seeing the little body growing inside, feeling the kicks and poking about, selecting names, first outfits and decorating the baby room…it is all quite overwhelming really.

Then the birth happens and you’re looked after by the medical staff until the next minute you are at home with a newborn. Welcome to motherhood!

Now I am going to be honest, after the first few days at home, I had feelings of wanting to go back to the hospital as it seemed easier (especially after a C-section).

You were fed regularly, showered, medicated and guided into motherhood with loads of support if you needed it.

Although I had my partner helping me the best he could in the first few weeks, I quickly realised in order for me to get through the first three months, I had to create an environment that limited hypersensitive and stressful situations. This would allow me to calmly transition into becoming a mum.

How to create the calm:

1)  Make your bedroom your domain.

Set up the baby cot, changing table, feeding equipment, and plenty of fluids in your bedroom. This would only be temporary until your baby is happily able to transition into their own room when sleeping routines are a little more established.

2)  Make your bed comfortable.

Clean sheets, plenty of pillows for support during feeding and laptop if needed. You want to be able to just relax, as you will spend a lot of time here initially.

3)  Use a plug-in night light or dim lamp.

Best place is near the change table away from the cot. I used a little sensory one that rotates and turns on when the room is dark and stayed on the whole night. I faced it to the floor and it was perfect mood lighting to check on my baby and walk around preparing or nursing.

You do not want to flood bright light into the room with a newborn.

4)  Humidifier with lavender essence.

You can purchase a humidifier that has a timer to which I added lavender drops for a restful calming environment. I would set it for one hour before her bedtime and have continued this since she was born. You can change the oils to suit what is needed.

We added eucalyptus during the winter months when they get the little snuffles.

This is going to help you and your bub so I would highly recommend it.

5)  Remove caffeine from your diet.

Not only could it cause discomfort and alertness in your baby through the breast milk, you do not need stimulants at this time when added stress could make you snap with caffeine in your system.

You need to allow your body to naturally tap into its instinctual behaviour and be able to rest when those moments come. Drink lactation tea or your favourite flower herbal tea like chamomile (just not black, green or white) and swap chocolate to fruit or nuts. It is normal to be tired but try NOT to choose caffeine as the answer in the early months.

6)  Eat good wholesome foods.

As a Nutritionist, I cannot express enough how important the good quality nutritional foods are at this time of restoring and replenishing your body.

You are in healing as well as producing milk for your baby so you need to be very MINDFUL of what goes in your mouth.

Ask yourself what foods will support all the hard work you need to do over the next few weeks…the answer is always the easiest…wholefoods, fruits, vegetables, proteins. High fat/deep fried foods, although fast and easy some may say, can make your milk very fatty (not the good fat) and will not sustain your energy or provide nourishing vitamins and minerals that are in high demand post natal.

7)  Get out and walk.

After the first week or so you may like to begin light walking for 10 mins and gradually building on that as you feel ready.

Getting some sunshine and leaving the house for physical activity with your baby is going to cleanse your mind, help you feel positive and assist your healing process.

8)  Set boundaries with visitors.

I cannot express enough how important it is to limit when and for how long people visit during this peak time of transition as parents.

If you have visitors, it needs to be short, you will get exhausted shifting attention from your baby and then amusing your guests.

TRUST ME you are already at high alert with being a mum on demand, you need to be resourceful with your energy. Know what you can handle and don’t push past this point. If they are coming to help out, take this opportunity but make sure you are staying restful.

I can only share my experiences and the calming ways to cope in the hope it will be helpful and supportive during your first time becoming a mother. I would love to know what little tips you may have that made your time becoming a mum a flowing positive experience.

Try to remember that a calm mother may experience a more calming transition with a positive outlook. Always seek support if you need it.

Do you have any tips on how to calmly get through the first few weeks of motherhood? SHARE in the comments below.

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Comments

  • Just do what is right for you and your family / situation.

    Reply

  • Think you have to go with the flow – do what you feel is right and try not to worry.

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  • You k now what, it’s easier said than done. Everyone’s circumstances and situation are different. Some people have support, some don’t, some Mums have different personalities and/or react differently when they’re anxious, concerned, something’s new. Go with your gut. Do what you think is right.

    Reply

  • I was lucky to have my partner home every day with me. The health nurse and Dr only walking distance away. So I was pretty relaxed knowing help was close, as relaxed as you can be with a tiny human being relying on you for survival

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  • These are great tips, particularly number 8). When my daughter was born, my mother-in-law came and stayed with us for the first week. As my husband is quite a bit older than me, it was really like looking after two babies – and very tiring! I certainly wouldn’t recommend it!

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  • It can be quite a challenge :-)

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  • Great tips…..rest as much as you can, don’t worry about housework it can wait and just enjoy bub while they are little as they grow so fast.

    Reply

  • these are great tips for a first time mum to transition into motherhood

    • Thank you for the feedback I am happy you related to the article. Enjoy your day.

    Reply

  • looks good

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  • Rest as much as possible.

    • Rest is a must! I found the more rest I got the better my milk supply would be….Thanks for reading :)

    Reply

  • I think just getting up, getting dressed and out the house if possible, even into the back yard, is a good tip.

    • GREAT TIP!! I should have put that in there with the walking one. Sitting in the sun for a short minute was something I did do :) Fresh air ! Thanks for reading x

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  • My best friend has just had her first baby have passed some of these on to her. It funny the things you forget about the first stage

    • Oh great thanks for passing them along. I hope to support as many as possible because IT WAS TOUGH. Im scared for a second haha
      Head over to my website if you enjoyed the read. There is a great blog on infant colic your friend might like too.

    Reply

  • These are fabulous tips. I wish someone had given them to me when I had my kids years ago. I actually do use/give them to friends who have babies now.

    • Thanks, I am so glad you found them useful. I am sure you did a wonderful job without them :)

    Reply

  • The hardest time for a new mum is the first few weeks.

    • I totally know what you mean! I think no one honestly tells you that…LIKE HELLO its super hard. Thanks for reading my article feel free to link up over on FB. :)

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  • It is great if baby can go in his/her room right from the start. A friend of mine had a nursery rocker with good height arms that she sat and fed her baby in the nursery a lot of the time. There will be times where you may decide to go back to bed and feed your baby, especially in the cold weather. She covered the rocker with a blanket. It was easier to wash than the fabric on the rocker, when baby vomitted when being patted to bring up wind. Old towels are ideal to protect your clothes – and you getting it on your bare skin in some very uncomfortable places. If somebody reliable offers to help with washing, meals, cleaning or other chores be thankful that they offer and accept it if you can. A friend of mine had to have an emergency C-section and wasn’t able to hang washing on the ordinary clothes line when she went home. Luckily her husband was quite happy to do the washing. She sorted it and he did the rest, even helped put it away. She was able to hang a few things on a plastic clothes airer at medium height. With a little help you may able to have a short nap while your baby is asleep, especially if somebody is content to help with chores or just sit and read a book while listening out for baby. That way you can build your strength up quicker. If people are just visiting for too long and you are too tired, just diplomatically give them the hint tht you need a nap while baby is asleep.

    Reply

  • Having the freezer stocked with ready made meals helped a lot.

    • A must!!! Great additional Tip :) How you enjoyed my article, feel free to head over to chat all things mum, bub and healthy. Take care.

    Reply

  • hahaha….ok… i WISH that during those early days that i couldv’e had my adult sanctuary called my bedroom. In reality, my bedroom became a nursery and my bed became my feeding and changing station! I had nappy boxes by my bed and baby stuff everywhere. Yes i had the intention of actually putting my baby to sleep in HER bed, in HER room but just ended up spending a lot of money on the co-sleep situations!

    • Thanks for reading my article,
      Yes this is what I have meant in the article by setting it all up in your bedroom, your situation sounds just like mine. I had to co-sleep and the cot and all were in my bedroom at the start. I think until about 6-8 weeks of age until we started a sleep trial in her room. IT is SOOO tough in the early days thats why I wrote this guide so women could set it all up in preparation before “to keep calm” through the initial stages. Hope you have a lovely day.

    Reply
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