The Challenges of Being a New Mom and How to Cope
The joys of caring for a child are unparalleled in many respects, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Far from it: there will be days when you feel like you’ve run out of options, that you’re failing your child. That feeling is even more pronounced for new mothers, who lack the experience of previous children to inform their parenting decisions.
How does one stay ahead of these challenges? By knowing what to anticipate.
As a result, we’ve crafted this article on the challenges of being a new mom and how to cope to help ease you into the parenthood role. Let’s start with something most new moms don’t consider: post-partum aches and pains.
Turn and Face the Strange Ch-Ch-Changes
One of the first hurdles new moms face is confronting the changes pregnancy and motherhood bring to your body. Not only do many women feel residual pain and swelling weeks after giving birth, but it also can take some time to lose pregnancy weight. That’s not even touching on the permanent aftereffects like stretch marks that pregnancy leaves behind.
With these changes can come a loss of confidence and frustration that the body and image you used to have seems so far away. That said, a healthy diet and exercise will do wonders for getting your body back on track. Ice/heat packs can also help relieve the pain and swelling
Mental Health Challenges for New Moms
Another one of the many new mom struggles comes in the form of reduced mental health. Postpartum depression (caused by hormone spikes in your body during pregnancy plummeting once the baby is born) can cause serious stress and reduced energy in new mothers.
This exhaustion and the need to dedicate so much time to the new baby can also put a strain on your relationship with your partner, which can pile on more stress.
Communication is key here, as seeking therapy can help relieve the depression. You should also tell your partner how you’re feeling, and work to set time aside for the two of you to go on “date nights” alone.
Breastfeeding
If you’re opting to breastfeed your baby, there are a whole lot of hurdles that could come up. You could have difficulty producing milk, or your baby could either feed too hard or not latch on right.
You can even check out this article here as to the effect breastfeeding can have on your mental health. To avoid long-term stress from this, speak to your doctor about the problems you’re having and what solutions to take to fix them
How to Juggle Motherhood and Work
Finally, many new mothers find that a child complicates the career they’ve built for themselves. For those in tight financial situations or with demanding, established careers, it can feel like your baby takes you away from that, causing strife.
If this comes up, work to find ways around it. Speak to your job about the change and try to reach a compromise. Hire a sitter or nanny to watch the baby while you work.
Embracing Being a New Mom
Now that you have these tips for being a new mom, it’s time to take the next steps towards building a relationship with your child you’ll cherish forever. And if you’re looking for more tips on raising a child for the first time, make sure to check out the other articles on our website.