Ask any parent about their experience during the newborn phase, and they’ll often tell you that it is wondrous, mind-boggling, and stressful all at the same time.
Yet even if you spoke to a thousand parents, it’s likely that you’ll still be caught off-guard. Most of the build-up focuses on the birth itself and the logistics — such as the products you’ll need — of the months that follow, not the fact that it can be a bewildering experience.
There’s no way to sugarcoat it: those first few months will be tough, but how tough is somewhat within your control. Being aware of the primary challenges, as well as their solutions, gives you a solid line of defence that can help to keep many potential issues at bay. Let’s take a look.
Sleep Deprivation
Of all the challenges that new parents face, it’s the lack of sleep that usually hits the hardest. After all, most people are accustomed to meeting challenges with a full night of rest under their belt. Many new parents find that they’re putting out fires while feeling like a zombie.
Even though babies sleep for up to 17 hours a day, you won’t know when those hours will be. You’ll often find yourself getting up multiple times each night, which means you might never complete a full REM cycle. Napping when your baby is asleep, ignoring non-essential tasks, and putting together a sleep schedule with your partner really can make a world of difference.
Advice From Everyone
If you’re already pregnant, then you’ll likely already be used to receiving unsolicited advice. That tends to increase when the baby has arrived, especially since many parents look like they need help. The problem is that much of the advice you hear will be conflicting, and in any case, it’s not always nice to receive advice that you didn’t ask for. The best advice for new parents comes from expert resources, not well-meaning friends and family. Reading evidence-based resources both before and after your newborn arrives will give you confidence to deflect unwanted advice from your loved ones (and in some cases, strangers!).
Constant Visitors
Another well-meaning but stressful friend and family element is their desire to be around when your baby is at home. It’s well-meaning in that they only want to share in the experience, but it can take a toll if it begins to feel that you’re continually in host mode, especially when you’re sleep-deprived and just want to rest. A good way to handle this is to set visitor times in advance, so you know exactly when people will arrive and leave. For some visitors, it can also be worthwhile asking them to perform a task while they’re there. Most will be happy to help, and this is an easy way to take a task off your plate.
Conclusion
No one wants to live with these challenges, but they happen to pretty much all parents. By taking the right approach, you can ensure that their impact is minimal.
