The baby blues aren’t uncommon and when you’re dealing with a newborn baby, they can be incredibly frustrating. It’s important to not dismiss these feelings as they could be an indicator of something else, but for the time being, here’s some effective ways to help you cope with them.
What are baby blues?
You’ve given birth and instead of feeling elated, lucky, joyous, you’re actually feeling irritable, restless and experiencing unexpected sadness and bouts of unexplainable crying.
If you’re going through this a few days after the birth, don’t worry, it’s entirely normal. With so many hormonal changes going on in your body, there’s no wonder there’s an anti-climax after the birth. And let’s face it, a newborn baby is exhausting which is going to be an additional drain on your already spent resources.
Don’t be so hard on yourself
There can often be a whole host of emotions that are running through you after the birth, whether it’s guilt from not being able to deliver without pain medication, difficulties with breast feeding, unhappiness with your post-birth appearance or the added stress on your less-than-romantic relationship with your partner.
It’s easy to see how you can start to feel inadequate and overwhelmed but it’s important that you’re not so hard on yourself. Give it a few weeks and you’ll feel like a natural, you’ve just got to give yourself some time. Plus, beating yourself up about it really isn’t going to achieve anything.
Talk to someone
Being on your own with a crying newborn can feel so depressing, especially when they simply won’t stop, and no matter what you do, you can’t work out why. Not to mention the lack of sleep, the mountain of stuff that needs doing, cleaning or tidying and the promise of another sleepless night ahead. Trying to go solo can be the hardest, so take the time to talk to someone; your partner, your sister, a friend, your mum, or even join a postnatal class and talk to other newbie mums.
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Read More:
How to Get a Better Night’s Sleep During Pregnancy
Tips on Coping with Mood Swings During Pregnancy
5 Unhealthy Habits Pregnant Women Should Avoid
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Remember to treat yourself
It can be easier to get caught up in the looking after of your newborn, but that often means you neglect number one. Whether you have doting grandparents, aunties, uncles or even a friend nearby, someone will be able to take care of your bundle of joy for a few hours and allow you and your partner to have some alone time. You might decide to go out to dinner, to order a takeaway and watch a movie or just have a nice long soak in the bath instead.
Let it all out
Keeping all that pent up emotion inside is not going to do any good for anyone. You’re going to want to cry, and to laugh, and to throw a tantrum every now and again, so it’s important you simply let it out. Keeping it all bottled up is only going to make you feel worse and add to the stress you’re already under. Need a cry? Go ahead and cry, there’s no shame in that.
Resources:
https://www.whattoexpect.com/first-year/ask-heidi/week-3/baby-blues.aspx
bounty.com/baby-0-to-12-months/postnatal-depression-and-bonding/baby-blues
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