How to Stay Positive during Early Parenthood

Whether you’re an experienced parent or a new parent having a new baby can be difficult. There is someone depending on you for all of their needs and it is easy to feel helpless. During the first stages of parenthood, you may find that your life revolves around sleep schedules, feeding schedules and nappy changes. It is hard to stay positive when you have no time for yourself and are perpetually sleep-deprived.

Here are some ways to stay positive during early parenthood.

Ask for help

A lot of new parents feel guilty asking for help. If your partner is at work all day while you are home with the baby you should not feel guilty asking them for help. Maybe ask them to watch the baby once they are home from work so that you can have some time to yourself.

You may also find that your family and friends want to visit when you have a new baby so you may find that a lot of your time is spent entertaining guests. You should take advantage of this. If you have people coming over, ask them to bring over groceries or get them to help you look after the baby and the house while they are over. A lot of people forget or do not know how difficult having a newborn can be. This is why you should let them know when you need help.

You will find that your family and friends will usually be happy to help so don’t be afraid to ask.

Maintain your social life

Some days it may feel like the only conversations you have are in baby talk. It is just you talking in baby talk while your baby stares at you and does not say a word back. This can be isolating and can make you feel lonely. On top of this, you may find that when you do talk to adults all they want to talk about is the baby. If you want a break from baby talk, tell your friends and family that you need a break and ask if you can have a conversation that does not involve any baby chat. Sometimes you just want someone to ask you how you are feeling and not how the baby is feeling.

If you want to socialise with people who are in the same position as you, you can try joining a mothers group. If you cannot find the time to buy a pram, you can get yourself prams online in Australia, so ask one of the other mums to go out for a walk with you and your baby to keep you both sane.

Try organising an outing for you to go on without the baby. Get somebody else to watch the baby while you enjoy yourself and forget about your parental responsibilities for a few hours.

Make time for your partner

When you suddenly have a third person in your relationship and in your bedroom it can be a real mood killer. On top of all of this, you have a lot more responsibilities and you will find that it will be hard to find time to spend with your partner. Try spending time with your partner while your baby is asleep. You can have some couple time at night when your baby goes to bed early.

If you want a full night alone get a trusted babysitter to look after your baby for the night. Just remember to try to minimise the baby chat and try to focus on your relationship instead.

Make time for yourself

You are doing a lot for someone else but you are not doing much for yourself. You may barely even have time to shower every day. Make time in your schedule to take care of yourself and do things for yourself even if it is just while your baby is sleeping.

Getting more help

If you are still struggling to stay positive you might need to seek help from a medical professional. If you feel uncharacteristically unhappy you may be suffering from postnatal depression. If you think you might be at risk, there will be multiple forms of help for you in your city. This includes online resources and support phone lines or visiting your local doctor. To find these places simply search for it online and you’ll find localised results.