Stuck At Home With Baby

So, you’ve been home a while, the doting visitors have cleared out and your partner has gone back to work. Its normal to feel a little overwhelmed!

Stuck in an endless cycle of naps, feeds and nappy changes can make anyone feel frustrated! It’s easy to fall down the rabbit hole of loneliness. But don't worry! It's totally normal and okay to feel like this, and you are still a fantastic parent! Don’t criticise yourself for not enjoying every single second of parenthood, nobody does.

But, we can help to make it a bit easier! Here are our Mizzie tips to help you feel more focused and fulfilled through your day, when you feel stuck!

Schedule

It sounds counterintuitive to try and schedule yourself with babies demands changing almost daily, we know... But when you sit back and look at what has to happen each day, you can identify areas that might allow you some time to feel like yourself again!

If bub always has a morning nap after a feed, you know you are going to have some time free then - Instead constantly battling an endless mountain of dirty onsies, immediately head to the laundry to do another load and when your little ones wakes up, the machine is going and working away while you enjoy your one-on-one time!

By the time their afternoon nap time rolls around, the washing is half done and you will have some free time to do something for yourself. One of the most important things to schedule into your day is your own meal times, with mothers often forgoing meals in order to tend to bubs. If you are finding yourself energy or time poor during the day, try meal prepping the night before so you have easy to prepare meals ready to go at any time of the day.

Me time

Make sure to keep prioritising ‘me time’, we know how easy it is to lose yourself to the job when it comes to bubs. While, of course, we are constantly tending to our little one's needs,  remember “You can’t pour from an empty cup.”!

When you begin to feel run down, you can start finding you can’t do as much for bub as you would like, which perpetuates those feelings of frustration you’ve been feeling. So make sure that, even if the washing mountain is growing, that some days you take a beat for yourself to scroll through Instagram and have a tea! 

Fresh air

Getting out in the fresh air does wonders for both you and your little one. At Mizzie, we are absolutely pro-outdoor play!  Pushing baby in a pram for a leisurely walk around the neighbourhood can help to boost your vitamin D levels which are essential for overall health. Postnatal exercise can also help to restore your muscle strength, promoting a raise your energy levels!

Alternatively, you can begin spending some quality time with bubs under a shady tree, feeling the grass between your toes, reading a few stories that involve the outdoors (Like our Mizzie  Be Active Touch & Feel Book!). The change of scenery often helps to refocus your brain with the sunshine and blue light rays promoting serotonin production - helping you to feel more awake after your sleepless nights.

Get help

Unless you are restricted by local laws on having house guests, ask for some company, and ask for some help! Your best friend is likely aching to get in and offer some help around the house in exchange for a cuppa and a cuddle.

Sometimes we put pressure on ourselves to get everything done ourselves proving that we can do it all, but we don’t have to and the people who love you aren’t going to judge you for have three-day old dishes in the sink. So when someone offers help say yes, and if they don’t offer… ask!

Whether they actually do something productive or just give you some company, the adult interaction is already enough to break up the monotony of the day. You can also utilise the time straight after your partner gets home to look after yourself or get things done while they willingly get sucked into baby’s world, even for 10 minutes. 

If you are finding that you are feeling increasingly trapped and lonely as the days go on despite including these ideas into your day, please see your health professional to ensure your mental health is ok as many mothers are not aware of the signs of postpartum depression which can become exacerbated by feelings of isolation. Many baby health organisations will have contacts for mum and bub support groups for you to join.

Good luck!