Entering the newborn phase is a flurry of love & joy, but the sleepless nights and monotony can drive you into a whirlwind of stir crazy! I asked 6 other mamas in Edmonton how they survived the early days of motherhood, and these are their answers. ♥
- Ana from Ana Salas Photography says, “What kept me sane during the newborn phase was long LONG showers with no interruptions. Just being able to do some self care, shave in peace, wash my face, apply some lotion.. Being able to have a good 20 minutes to myself every so often helped me not die of overwhelm.”
- Megan from Megan Onuferko Photography & Films says, “Something that kept me sane during the newborn phase with a toddler in tow was learning to not make specific plans. Inevitably we’d be over an hour late, everyone was stressed, and it was never worth it. I quickly learned to only make plans with friends to whom I could say, ‘We’ll be at such and such a place from approximately this time to this time. Maybe see you there.’ Completely saved sanity.”
- Claudia from De La Torre Photography says, “Some of my favourite things during the newborn phase was a comfortable nursing chair, a quality baby carrier, white noise machines, and blackout curtains for better sleep!”
- Matti from Momma Penguin Photography listed some of her favourite things! One Tree Hill, crocheting, walking through Ikea, free mom & tot swim times at Emerald Hills, and finding a Starbucks/Chapters that have seats to get cozy and read in.
- Lisa from Lisa Olohan Photography said, “Finding local moms groups and activities is what kept me sane during the newborn phase! I needed to get out of the house and stop feeling ‘stuck’, and eventually I met people in the same life stage as me. We learned and grew together, and some remain my best friends now! Reach out in your community and the libraries to find out where you can go, a lot of these activities for new parents are free!”
- India from India Faith Photography says, “My total life savers that I couldn’t live without for the newborn stage was my stretchy baby wrap. My kids all loved to be close to me, so I did a lot of baby wearing and couldn’t get anything done without it. Lots of coffee for obvious reasons! My haaka pump for easily throwing in a bag and catching milk for my babies when I was in the leaky phase of breast feeding. I also bought a tiny little fridge to keep by my bedside so I didn’t have to go all the way down stairs to the fridge to store milk in the middle of the night.”
And for me, what saved me during the newborn stage was medication.
No I am not trying to push medication on you if you are not interested, but if you are thinking about it then I highly recommend talking to a doctor or therapist about it! Both of my newborns had colic (you can read about my colic journey here). My post partum anxiety and post partum depression had gotten out of hand. I wasn’t sleeping or functioning, and I needed more help than my brain could absorb. Starting antidepressants was one of the best decisions I have ever made for my family, and if you want to learn more I would be more than happy to chat with you.
Some days feel uniquely hard, like no-one else could possibly be going through this, but you are truly not alone! If you would like to join a mom’s group check out Coffee & Convos @ The Fourth or Mama Bear Play Club.
Suzi ♥
Check out some of Suzi’s work! Edmonton Newborn Portraits, Edmonton Cake Smash Photo Shoot, Edmonton Kids Photos, Edmonton Mommy and Me Session
