Managing Expectations For New Mothers

NEWBORN CARE BASICS: MANAGING EXPECTATIONS About becoming a mother About being tired You will not love every minute of it and that's perfectly fine and perfectly normal. Be mentally prepared to be tired every day and to have little to no breaks in between. About feeling overwhelmed About sleeping Expect to be sleep-deprived but you can choose a time to sleep with your baby. That's what "sleep when the baby sleep" means. Everyone has felt this way, even veteran parents. So it's fine and know that you are not alone. About your About cleaning O and housework career No one can juggle so many responsibilities and still be sane. They just know when to gently drop the ball and pick it up again. Just do the minimum. Now is not the time to be OC about cleaning. About your relationships About phases -and milestones Motherhood will affect your relationships and the key to having no to minimal drama is communication. "The nights are long but the years are short." Remember that when your baby is going through a challenging phase. About plans About yourself it's okay if things don't go as planned. Cut yourself some slack, don't be so hard on yourself, and just go with the flow. Brace yourself - you will change. It might be subtle or it might be a huge one but you will definitely change. www.adaptablemama.com O