There are a few things that every woman with a new baby needs to better her chances of survival.
Caffeine
I don’t care how you take it, just make sure you’ve got a couple doses in you during the day and you might just make it till bed time.
Under-Eye Concealer
Days and nights morph into one another as the sleeplessness drags on for weeks and months on end. Bags under the eyes are inevitable and it’s nice to at least try to smear some goop on them to help yourself feel marginally more suitable for public appearance.
Infant Carrier
I am a fan of the Baby Bjorn (the “active” model with extra lumbar support) but there are many choices of slings, wraps, etc. that make it possible to get a few things accomplished around the house (like stand in front of the fridge and eat brownies by the fistful) even if your baby is having a needy “I need my momma to hold me for six hours straight” day.
Also, how do you like my new jeans? And my overnight 50-pound weight loss? And my supermodel male nanny? Life is good.
TV on the Internet
During the endless feedings, one has the option to stare vacantly into space and contemplate life’s mysteries OR clock dozens of hours watching television shows on her laptop while the baby eats. I have gazed lovingly upon many hours of programming already and my favourite shows include: Mad Men, America’s Next Top Model, Glee, 30 Rock and The Office.
Dresses
None of my pants really fit yet. Because I carried my baby in my THIGHS and butt, apparently. Pretty sure it was a medical miracle. Anyways, I feel so much more comfortable and better about my body when I’m wearing a nice A-line dress that’s fitted on top.
Low Expectations
I have found myself growing frustrated with the incessant needs of the children and how they take such massive bites of any time I have to try and get things done. I have actually been motivated to clean and organize our home, but with the hungry baby’s bi-hourly squawks for sustenance and the brawls between the two older girls, it feels as though I have about 3.4 seconds to accomplish any sort of task. Unloading the dishwasher can take a half-hour as I tend to the kids between each plate. But I just to have realize that this is a season and although it might not feel like it in the moment, it is awfully fleeting and it’s OK if the house is a disaster and we have mac ‘n’ cheese for the fifth night in a row and my hair never gets done. All we have to do is make it through.
What helped you make it through your postpartum experience?
I’m so with you on the caffeine, and dresses. My uniform this summer was sundresses and flip-flops, and now it’s a-line dresses with leggings and boots. TV-shows on dvd are huge on my list – going through Mad Men right now during my weird tv hours. I’ve also discovered the value of boxed meats – the old “foodie” me would have scoffed at meat i hadn’t marinated lovingly myself. At this moment, I’ve got PC barbeque chicken in the oven with oven fries and microwaved broccoli.
low expectations. all. the. way.
a promise to myself to shower every day….even if I put my jammies back on after. BUT I only have one kid..so it was possible.
It made me feel like part of the human race. That and CNN.
So true – and for me, going out with the baby to get my morning coffee was also a great way to get out of the house, and, see and interact with the rest of the world.
And I am with EM about the hairdo – I have mastered about 5 different pony tail styles and that’s about the number of days I go without washing my hair… I know… but I also mastered the 3 1/2 minute shower and 1 1/2 minute makeup routine! Not bad 😉
Low expectations are hard to be at peace with. I am still struggling with that.
The hardest part for me was the unrealistic expectation of getting my body back within 3 months like Giselle or Heidi… come on! So as part of the tool-kit I would say NO People magazines showing the “post baby body” of so and so.
And last tool – keep telling yourself that you are doing a great job as a mom!
I don’t know how I made it through. I’ve erased that trauma from my memory forever. But speaking of undereye concealer – have you tried erase paste by benefit? It costly but it’s a miracle in a teensy tiny little jar.
Baby Trekker. The occasional glass of red wine. Ranting on the internet. Knowing I’m not alone. Frozen pizza.
I’m with you on the caffeine, and actually everything on your list (though I don’t have any concealer and I haven’t had the endurance to actually make it to the beauty department when I do go out to get stuff, so my eyes are just shadowy in the wrong places for now).
For my list I’d add a stroller for 3, but since my stroller for one that I was using for three broke for some weird reason (maybe the extra 70lbs that was forced on it), I’m using a wagon. When the going gets tough the 3 & 5 year olds get pushing! It’s all about team work you know.
Also I found some neat hair doo dads. I default to a hair band when I’m in a rush, but Goody has some neat little double helix wires that work great for a quick and secure bun. They have pony tail holders that look pretty effortless too. That way I can go days without showering :p
The low expectations is a must. I keep hoping I’ll get this or that done, or maybe have time for something self indulgent, but by 11pm I finally realize that my hopes are dashed once again and I go to bed and sigh myself to sleep. Honestly I might get half a sigh in before….zzzzzzz