Your water broke in the middle of the night. You rushed off to the hospital and gave birth to the most beautiful baby boy in the world. Now, just a few days later, you are ready to go home. For the first week dad is around. He helps you bathe baby, change baby and brings you baby during feeding times. He even helps in the middle of the night. Now, he’s heading back to work and you’re scared to death about being alone with baby. Relax – many women go through these same feelings and they all raise healthy, happy children. 

Remember – you are not the first mother out there. If you are feeling overwhelmed and exhausted you may be on edge and snappy. Call someone to come over and help out for a while; mom, dad, sister, brother – anyone that can help you or watch baby while you rest. 

Plan ahead so you can rest when baby sleeps. Cook extra large meals and freeze half. When you are feeling tired and rundown you can heat up some of the leftovers in the freezer and save yourself a ton of time. While the food is in the oven – head off to the shower and spend about 10 minutes pampering you quietly while dad is watching baby. 

Take help when it’s offered. This is one I did not remember when I gave birth to twins. Family and friends were constantly offering help and I kept telling them I could handle it on my own. I never thought about the fact that I had two other children already at home and that the babies would require all of my time. Eventually the offers stopped coming in and I started growing extremely tired very quickly. Luckily my husband was able to come to the rescue and take a couple days off work while I rested, but not all new moms have that luxury. 

Surviving your time with baby means asking for help, taking help when offered and planning ahead. You will survive this time in your life, but you will change dramatically during the process.