Postpartum

3 Tips for Month One of Maternity Leave

I used to think childbirth was the scariest possible thing I could ever go through.

I was wrong. Month one after bringing baby home was far more terrifying, but in ways I was not prepared to deal with in a positive way. Please don’t misunderstand, I was (and still am) in awe of how beautiful our son is, and every day it is the most amazing thing to see what he learns and understands.

Month one is scary but manageable if proper planning is in place. Here are three lessons I learned about planning for those crucial first few weeks at home with baby:

1. Find out who can help. This is not the time to have too much pride. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from family, friends, anyone who can spare some time to come over (even just for an hour or two) so you can shower and relax for a little while. Maybe you can even take a nap!

2. Make crock pot meals ahead of time and freeze them. My husband and I did this, and we were SO happy we did! It really helped after the first few weeks of casseroles from family and friends were devoured. Simply start thawing the night before, then put it in the crock pot the next morning.

3. Sleep when the baby sleeps is a myth, but there is a way. Take shifts with your partner for naps. During one nap, you sleep while your partner takes care of bottle washing, laundry, whatever needs to be done. Then during the next time the baby naps, switch places. Otherwise, you will never sleep because there is always something that needs to be done. How in the world does laundry multiply so fast?!

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