As a new mom of my 3 week old dear little boy, Braelan William, life has been turned upside down in the most wonderful way. A new mom can feel overwhelmed with the responsibility of caring for a new little bundle of joy. Often mommies will need to leave the house to go for weekly check-ups at the clinic or to visit the chiropractor, and these outings can be daunting to say the least.
To put your mind at ease and help in a small way, I have made a list of things that I found helped me face the outings with somewhat less stress.
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Venture out when you are ready
Don’t panic when you find you need to leave the house. It’s very daunting to think about taking your new little miracle out, only venture out when you feel ready.
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Have a close family member or friend help you
I cannot stress this enough.
Your sole priority is baby. Ask a family member or close friend to drive you and help you pack and unpack the car so that you have your hands free to attend to baby.
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Give yourself lots of time to prepare for leaving the house
It will take you a lot longer to prepare everything and get baby ready (besides the feeding and changing that is still needed between all of the organising) and so it is best to start preparing a long time in advance. The last thing you want to feel is rushed and stressed about leaving on time.
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Pack a bag of what you need for the outing
Have and keep your baby bag packed with the essentials that you will need, so that when you are ready, you can leave with less fuss.
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Plan to arrive early so that you feel settled when you arrive
Arriving early will give you time to unpack the car, settle an unhappy baby, and will give you time to settle in at the appointment without feeling flustered. This will also give you time to feed or change baby if you need to.
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Plan a short outing at first
Plan an outing short in duration. You may be nervous and stressed, and keeping this stress to a minimum by keeping the outing short, will go a long way in helping you feel in control.
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Try not to stress and enjoy the time with baby
Remind yourself that baby is small for such a short time, and these weeks will pass by so quickly. Try to enjoy every moment.
Contributed by Samantha Mayer of Clamber Club Babies Bassonia
Cell: 071 470 7236
Email: bassoniababies@clamberclub.com
Website: www.clamberclub.com