{"id":27541,"date":"2021-02-25T10:47:14","date_gmt":"2021-02-25T14:47:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=27541"},"modified":"2021-02-28T21:12:04","modified_gmt":"2021-03-01T01:12:04","slug":"new-mother","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/new-mother\/","title":{"rendered":"Advice for Every New Mother: You Got This"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Are you struggling with feelings of inadequacy as a new mother? Does the thought, “I’m a bad mom” often cross your mind?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you feel like you\u2019re not succeeding as a new mother caring for an infant, it\u2019s easy to feel like a failure. Every new mother has only two goals: take care of the baby and take care of yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continue on to learn tips from one new mother to another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Advice For a New Mother<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When women become new mothers, it can be overwhelming. Caring for a newborn<\/a> is exhausting; you\u2019re navigating a world where your body has morphed and nursing is relentless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s easy to feel like “I’m a bad mom” because trying to keep up a perfect home, look great, keep your marriage together and be a perfect mother is daunting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you feel like you\u2019re not succeeding as a new mother caring for an infant — something women think they should innately know how to do — it\u2019s easy to feel like a failure<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The author shares her experience as a new mother to help other women understand they\u2019re not alone, and to offer advice on succeeding at new motherhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feeling Like “I’m a Bad Mom”<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Hollis suffered through awful pregnancies, including morning sickness that lasted for 9 months, varicose veins, and terrible anxiety over what could go wrong. When she had the baby, she was unprepared for how inadequate she felt. Her terror over what could go wrong was magnified. Breastfeeding was hard and the accompanying exhaustion was soul-sucking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her husband wasn\u2019t helpful, leading her to feel she was doing it all by herself, which caused resentment and anger. She remembers once getting so angry with him she shouted, \u201cI never thought I could hate you as much as I hate you right now!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the baby got older, she was focused on housework, chores, and keeping up perfect appearances. She never simply enjoyed her time as a new mom; she didn\u2019t feel connected to her child. This pattern kept up after the birth of her second child, when she suffered from postpartum depression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her reality of motherhood didn\u2019t match up to the images she saw in magazines and online, and she felt she was failing at the one thing she was supposed to be good at.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advice to New Moms<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

But she learned important lessons she wants to share with new moms to save them some of the angst she went through. First and foremost, understand that a new mother has two goals only: take care of the baby, and take care of yourself.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everything else — laundry, cleaning, losing weight — doesn\u2019t matter. God brought you and your baby together; you were meant to be a pair and you can\u2019t fail at a job you were created to do. <\/strong>This doesn\u2019t mean you won\u2019t make mistakes and things will always be perfect, but you and your child are meant to be together. All the anxiety you feel about wanting to do everything right just shows that you\u2019re concerned, dedicated and focused. You\u2019re already the best kind of parent!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tips on Feeling Equipped to Be a New M<\/strong>other<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Try these lifesaving strategies to survive as a new mother:<\/p>\n\n\n\n