Well, it’s not fair to say that they always cause the biggest stress. There’s no doubt that newborn babies are just the cutest thing in the world. You might be biased, but you’ll definitely think that your new bundle of joy is the most adorable baby in the world. But behind all that cuteness is a whole journey that’s about to unfold for you. Some of what that might bring is going to be individual for you. You’re going to be able to create so many beautiful memories with your new little baby, and your life is just going to be so much better now that they are in it. But for all of the happiness that you’re going to feel, you’re definitely going to feel a bit of pressure as well. They might not always be the biggest cause of your stress in life, but when they are, boy do you know about it.
There are so many things that can happen, and so many different stages you’re going to have to deal with. For a lot of people, baby stress can be so constant and severe, it can ruin the whole experience of having a newborn baby, and the years to come. So, to make sure you’re managing the stress in the right way, here are some of the top stresses, and how you can solve them!
Postnatal Depression
We want to talk about the most serious part of the article first. We really do believe that more needs to be said about postnatal depression. It’s so much more common than you realise, and hundreds of thousands of women around the world are being affected by it right now. You expect to love your baby unconditionally when you finally give birth, right? It really is just like depression, apart from a lot of the issues you have will stem from the birth experience, and dealing with a newborn. Around 1 in 10 women will get postnatal depression, and it definitely isn’t something to be joked about. If you ever feel like you have it, it’s so important to speak up and get the help you need. So many women suffer in silence and let it lead to so many other mental health problems. The sooner you get it sorted, the sooner you’ll be able to resume life as a normal mother. Fathers can get it as well, so it is super important that you’re looking out for the symptoms in your partner too. There is plenty of help out there, and it is easy enough to start as new if you get the help early on!
Poorly Baby Days
Those days when your little one is unwell are just the worst days. Not only do you have a lot more to deal with, but you can also feel pretty emotional! It’s like you feel their illness with them, and you hate more than anything to see them suffer. But some conditions that babies get can be more long term, and some can be so irritating for both you, and your baby to have to deal with. One you might never think you’d have to deal with, is acne in babies. Babies can actually get acne pretty easily due to a hormone imbalance, and it can be rather a pain to deal with. Here’s 11 tips for treating baby acne that you might not have heard of before. Of course, you might not have heard of it altogether! As babies get past the first couple of months, you’ll also notice that they start to get coughs and colds much more often. Well, that’s due to their immune system being so much lower than ours. They’re able to pick up bugs far more easily than we are, and it does take yours for them to develop immunity to some of the viruses we have. Our top tip here would be to make sure you’re not a total clean freak. The more bugs you destroy, the less they’re building up immunity to. It’s actually better for them to have bouts of the common cold and sickness bugs whilst they’re young.
Common Issues We All Have!
Some issues will be more targeted to babies who are born with problems, such as the baby acne we’ve just spoke about. But there are some common issues that we all have to deal with, and cause just as much stress to all of us as you might be feeling. The most common is definitely teething issues. Teeth can start coming through from around six months onwards. Some babies however don’t start teething until they’re over one. But when they do, boy do you know about it. The gums can be so sore and inflamed, and it can be such a painful process for your baby to have to deal with. To make it easier, you need to give them plenty of dummies and hard things to chew on. It can really ease the pain of the gums. Dosing up with pain medicine such as calpol is also a must. It’s going to be a tough time emotionally and physically for the both of you, but just try and ride it out as much as you possibly can.
Another common issue to have is the stress you feel from the constant routine that you have to go through. Pretty much all of your sleep ins are now gone out the window, and fatigue can actually be a huge problem for so many mothers and fathers to have to deal with. Through this sleep you then have to do pretty much the same routine every time. To try and reduce the pressure of this, try and switch things up a few days a week. You could try baby classes that will help you socialise, tire your baby out, and can even bring in a better night time routine. If you’re always in the house, going to something as simple as baby class can really be a stress reliever and a welcome break.
Baby Brain
They say that baby brain happens during pregnancy, and never truly goes away until your children are all grown up. No, we’re not talking about your babies brain either, we’re talking about the brain you can aquire, and how it affects you. It can sort of be described as a fog that sits on your brain, and makes you function in a way that’s different to what you’re used to. We think it can be pretty stressful because sometimes baby brain can really get in the way. You’ll forget things more easy, and some women actually suffer really bad with confusion all of the time. It can impact things such as your work life, as well as your ability to do daily tasks. To keep baby brain at a minimum, we would actually recommend doing brain training exercises that you can find on the internet.
Relationship Strain
Your relationship is definitely going to feel some form of strain one way or another. Before having a baby you were used to your lives just being so free, and when you have a bit of restriction it can be hard to deal with. So, to keep your relationship alive, we highly recommend that you have date nights. Get away from family life just for a few hours, and enjoy time together like you used to before. We promise it will help to solve a lot of the stress that you might be having, especially if you feel your relationship is struggling.