Motherhood is beautiful madness. As a mom, your identity and roles will shift with the years as your kids grow. Every new stage is an opportunity for new challenges. But there is something special (i.e. exhilarating, terrifying, exhausting) about the very first year with your very first baby. Everything is new, and everything is scary and exciting. You feel a love you’ve never felt before, and a fear you never knew you could feel. Here is my advice for surviving the first year of motherhood.

Tips For Surviving The First Year Of Motherhood

Prepare for Postpartum

I’m sure you know how to prepare to take care of your little one. You’ve probably got diapers and a bassinet and a whole bunch of adorable onesies. But what about preparing to take care of yourself in the postpartum period? Are you ready for that? There are so many surprising things about postpartum that you may not be prepared for, but that will make a huge difference during this life changing experience. Do everything you can to be as prepared as possible.

Hormones, lack of sleep, and physical discomfort can make the postpartum period overwhelming and emotional. The more you prepare, the better able you will be able to cope with it all. Getting ready to care for your babe, sure, but also make sure you are ready to take care of you.

Do Some Things Just For You

In the first year of motherhood (and even beyond), you may find yourself consumed by the responsibilities of being a parent. You are in charge of feeding, bathing, and entertaining your little one. It can feel like all of your energy must go toward being the best parent you can be.

But with all of that, you may find that you get lost in the role of motherhood. And that can be one of the most disorienting, upsetting feelings to have. That is why it is vital that you find things to do that are just for you. Maybe you choose to go to a weekly barre class. Or maybe you find a little time everyday to read a couple chapters of whatever book is living on your nightstand. Whatever it is you choose to do, make it a priority. You will be a happier, more fulfilled mom if you fill your cup, too.

Find Some Good Shows

Don’t disregard the importance of some good TV selections in surviving the first year of motherhood. Especially in those first few months, you will be sitting still often. Sitting and feeding your baby. Sitting and acting like your baby’s personal body pillow. Even just sitting and resting after the exhaustion of a long, long day.

Having a watch-list of TV shows that you are excited to watch is sure to come in handy. Once you finish binging one series, and then another, you will be glad you have some ideas of what to watch next ready to go. I recommend a healthy mix of documentaries, new dramas, and reruns of your favorite sitcoms.

Find A Comfy Spot To Nurse

If you are breastfeeding your baby, you are going to want to take this one seriously. What To Expect says that mothers can spend more than 1,800 hours breastfeeding their baby in the first year. To put that in perspective, working 40 hours a week for an entire year puts you at about 2,000 hours. That means you could easily spend almost a full-time job’s worth of time sitting and breastfeeding your little one in the first year.

It is so, so important that you have a comfortable spot to nurse. Make sure that your bed is comfy to sit up on for those night feeds. Figure out a way to make your couch extra cozy. The last thing you want to do is hurt your back breastfeeding because you don’t have a good spot set up.

Connect With Other Moms

The first year of motherhood can be particularly isolating. As you are going through things you’ve never been through before, it can feel like no one else has ever been through those things as well. But that just isn’t true. Most, if not all, moms face challenges in the early stages of motherhood. We’ve been there. We’ve questioned our every decision, looked at our changed bodies with discomfort, and cried over the life we left in our pre-motherhood days. We’ve also felt the immense love you feel when you look at your little one, and have come through the first year in our own ways.

If at all possible, find ways to connect with other moms. Reach out to friends and friends of friends who have little ones – they may be feeling similarly to you. Sign up for activities that may bring you new mom friends. Join Facebook groups aimed at connecting moms virtually.

Don’t feel like you have to go through these first stages of motherhood by yourself. There are others out there who can relate to what you’re going through, and leaning on them can help you feel more supported and less alone in your experiences.

Ask For Help

Whatever you do, don’t try to do it all by yourself. Surviving the first year of motherhood means asking for help when you need it. Whether that means asking your partner to help you with night feedings, asking your mother-in-law to help prepare meals, or asking your doctor for help with your mental health, there is help out there for you.

Motherhood is hard. The first year in particular can feel impossible at times. But asking for help will allow you to get the support you need to be your best as a mother and as an individual.

Surviving The First Year Of Motherhood Is In Sight

You will get through the first year of motherhood. I’m not say it will be easy. In fact, it probably won’t be. You will be exhausted and unsure and uncomfortable at times. But you will also feel a deep love that you have never felt before. And you will be a different, more whole version of yourself, even if it doesn’t feel like it at times.

You’ve got this, mama. You really do. As corny as it sounds (and oh, does it sound corny), the time will fly. Before you know it, you will be onto the struggles of toddlerhood and all of the other ages and stages that lie ahead. It may at times feel like you’ll never make it through, but you will. And you will wonder where the time gone.