What mother doesn’t worry about her children? We all do -- endlessly! However, there are rational concerns a mom should have, and there’s chronic anxiety about being a mom. Here, we’re going to look at some of the most common anxieties new moms have and what you can do to make sure that you’re doing all you can to reasonably do away with them.
Not feeding your baby in the right way or at the right time
Feeding your baby regularly is crucial. There are major benefits to breastfeeding naturally if it’s possible. However, too many women worry about being on schedule and feeding their baby in precisely the right way. So long as you’re keeping their head supported, whatever way they feed is the right way. Similarly, you don’t need to worry about setting alarms for each and every time they need to be fed. You will start to pick up on the cues that your baby is hungry. You’ll feel it to such a physical extent that a leak or two might not be out of the question.
Whether or not the baby is always crying
Part of us knows this, intellectually speaking. However, it is instinctual for a mother to be worried about regular or seemingly constant crying. There are a plethora of reasons that a baby will cry, including being hungry, sleepy, needing a change, or simply being too stimulated by the world around them. It can take time, but you will usually find a way to console your baby. Not every baby has colic, so it’s not where your mind should go to immediately. However, if the crying is truly ceaseless and they show the symptoms of colic, such as seeming to be in pain, clenching their fists, and have a very flushed face while crying, then it won’t hurt to have them checked by the pediatrician.
Whether their poop is normal or not
The kind of poops a baby can produce can be surprising, to say the least. However, if you’re changing their diapers more than four times a day or you see that it’s starting to change in color, it’s not necessarily anything to worry about. The color and consistency of a baby’s stool will change often, largely because they’re drinking milk and developing along the way. If the color is reddish, white, or black, then you need to get in touch with a pediatrician as soon as you can. A baby’s poop might start appearing a little green for a time, but if it is also watery and more frequent than five times a day, that’s another reason to get in touch.
Fearing about what might happen when they sleep
Some of a mother’s worst anxieties are about what can happen when they sleep. We’ve all heard horror stories about suffocations and other terrible outcomes in the crib. However, having them sleep with you all the time is not a workable solution. You need to ensure healthy sleeping habits for both of you. There’s a lot you can do to calm your fears but creating a safe sleep environment for your baby will be the single best solution to ease those worries. This means choosing a firm mattress, ensuring the mattress fits the crib snugly, and choosing bedding that’s better suited to your baby than blankets. A handy sleep safety guide will let you know about every major risk and what to do about it.
Not being able to keep your eye on them all the time
Naturally, you should never leave your baby unattended and out of your presence for too long. However, there is one time that it’s better to separate and that’s when they are starting to sleep alone. If you can’t leave them alone, then your child will have a much harder time getting to sleep when it’s quiet and they’re alone later. However, a baby monitor can help ensure that you’re still able to pay attention. There are many that come with both sound and video, so if there’s anything noteworthy that happens in the nursery, you can be aware immediately.
Trusting yourself with the baby
This is an unfortunately common trend. A lot of women will begin to doubt whether they’re fit to even look after or hold their child. They might worry about accidentally harming them, for instance. These intrusive thoughts can and do happen in the best of moms, and they can be distracting to the point of distress. However, many women are naturally afraid to talk about them. There is a reason women have scary thoughts about their babies. It’s programmed in us to worry about how well we are keeping them safe and, as a result, we tend to imagine scenarios that we want to protect them from in order to also think of the solutions to prevent them. Sometimes, the mind simply gets a little overactive about it.
Losing your baby weight
This might relatively unimportant compared to the other concerns on the list. However, the truth is that we tend to minimize the well-being and self-esteem of expecting and new mums, simply accepting them as a sacrifice for the health of the baby. However, it’s important to recognize that any thoughts of immediately losing baby weight are unrealistic and to let ourselves rest and focus on taking care of the child first and foremost. Keeping eating healthily, get as much sleep as you can, and start walking when your OBGYN recommends it. Don’t push yourself too hard, too early, or you can end up exhausting yourself.
If you’re following the tips above and doing everything you can to keep your child safe, but you still feel like you’ve got a lot of anxiety, then it might be time to ask for a little help. You may simply be burnt out from doing too much yourself, or even be at risk of experience an anxiety disorder, so don’t feel like you have to do it all alone.
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