Ask for help!

As a new mother, sometimes we feel as if the whole world is on our shoulders. There is laundry to wash and fold, dishes to wash, dinner to cook and yes…the baby to feed every 2-3 hours. We are feel sleep deprived, more than a tad batty, anxious and on edge. And if those emotions aren’t enough, we also may feel emotional and weepy. The questions that we should be regularly asking ourselves when we feel this way is, “Who are my support people?”, “Are they able to help me out?” The bigger question is this….."Am I asking others help me out?”

As a new mother, I often felt compelled to be super woman. I would talk myself and say…...“oh yes, that I could handle this or that.’’ Be forewarned….this super mom mentality leads to pure exhaustion and utter misery. I admit, did not properly delegate to my support systems initially, when it was truly necessary. An example of my road to pure exhaustion would be me literally walking all night, (for a total of three months) from 12:00am to 6:00am with my colicky 3 month old. I did not ask for any help from my husband. My reasoning was this…well the baby cries louder when my husband walks with him so…. I won’t be able to sleep anyway … I may as well be the one to be up! I often found myself falling asleep, while walking around with my baby in my arms! Looking back, I realize how very dangerous to my newborn, and too much for me to handle on my own. I look back and think, “ Why in the world did I not ask for help?”

Moms…..please and ask for help!  If your support person is asleep, do yourself a favor and WAKE THEM UP!  Use the time that you have relief to take some YOU time! Go get a relaxing shower or a bath with lavender essence. Take a much needed nap. Get out of the house. Go for a run or walk. Exercise is extremely important to unwind and let go of stress. Learn to meditate. This also helps with anxiety and stress. Get a massage. You need to take care of you!  If you don’t, who will?