Help! I’m New At This Mommy Business [How To Cope As a New Mom]

The awesome task of being a Mom can leave us drained for most of the time. In the first few weeks of your baby’s arrival, you may feel like your world has been turned upside down, everything seems to be happening all at once. Between trying to feed your baby, change diapers, giving the baby a bath, taking care of your husband… you may feel like you can’t take it for one more day.

Don’t worry, you’re in good company, moms who have older kids can tell you they’ve been there and done that. And I am sure if a lot of us moms were to have another chance, we will let you know we would have done things a bit different. A lot of us felt we could handle a lot of things on our own. Sometimes help will only come to those who ask for it.

We are told, as parents, that we need to teach our kids to ask when needed. When you see your child struggling, don’t be quick to jump to their rescue, let them learn to ask.

Sometimes, you may associate asking for help or anything for that matter as sign of inadequacy on your part.

Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, ask for help when you need it. In fact, ask for help ahead of the time you’ll need it, so you can know those who’ll be willing to help.

Here a few tips on what you can do:

• Make a list of things you may require help for – Grocery shopping, running errands, doing laundry sometimes…
• Make out a list of potential people you can ask for help, those you can trust to handle things the way you’d like
• Call them up and see if they’ll be willing to give you a rain check on these tasks, or if they’ll require a notice of some sort. That way, you’ll know who to call if there’s an emergency
• Have a network of fellow moms you can swap babysitting times with, so you can get to step out sometimes too. Believe me, you’ll need that breather
• Make the most of help that’s offered. You’ll always find those who are always willing to lend a hand, gracefully accept their help.
• And if help isn’t coming your way, and you feel extremely tired, turn it all off, put your feet up and just relax, rest, take a nap

All of these things can help, and to accept them isn’t a sign of weakness.

All the best on your journey of motherhood, it’s all worth it.

Oluseye Ashiru