The Baby Blues

If you’ve just had a baby, you may be suffering from the baby blues. You may feel tired and overwhelmed. You may feel lucky you if actually have time to read this!

There’s no feeling more incredible than when you’ve just had a baby. So why don’t you feel wonderful all the time?

The baby blues are a very normal reaction to a dramatic change in your life. Having a baby is exciting for everyone, yet it can be overwhelming, particularly if it is your first child. You may have been flooded with well-meaning company practically from the moment of delivery. Whether this is your first or tenth baby, you probably realize hospitals don’t give you very much help or advice. They send you home even if you haven’t slept for several days, with this new little creature who may cry constantly and doesn’t sleep much, at least not long enough to allow you to get some much needed rest.

Hormonal changes in your own body intensify your sadness. Sometimes you think you’ll never get a full night’s sleep again. Until the baby settles into a routine, you probably won’t!

Here are a few tips to help you get through the tough times:

First of all, don’t try to be a supermom. When the baby goes down for a nap, take a small nap yourself. The laundry can wait and so can the dishes. You don’t need to have a perfect house. Give yourself a break whenever you can.

Take advantage of any offers of help. Grandma would probably jump at the chance to have the baby all to herself for a few hours!

When you put the baby to bed for the night, take some time to decompress and relax so you have a better chance of falling asleep. Take a bath scented with lavender; put on some soft music and baby yourself a little. Read more tips for stress relief here.

Don’t be afraid to call your doctor if you find you can’t snap out of the baby blues. Postpartum depression is very real and may require professional help.

Above all, take things one day at a time. Don’t project into the future, imagining that you will never get to sleep again. There will be good days and bad days. Ride out the bad days, because in the good days, you will find you have in your hands an incomparable gift. Your baby is really and truly the best thing that has ever happened to you.

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