Issue #9

To the Mama about to be

How exciting! It is such a life changing event. There are so many wonderful things that happen when you become a mama, some not so wonderful things and some downright terrifying things (not to scare you too much just yet though). Most of the well-meaning advice generally focuses on the ‘sleep while you can – it’ll be years before you sleep properly again’ and ‘sleep when the baby sleeps’ – when exactly is that again?

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Helpful tip #1. When I was expecting my first baby, the most practical advice I was given was to wear them in a baby carrier. This was helpful for a number of reasons but mainly your baby wants to be close to you. It’s a scary world out here, far from the comfort and safety of mama’s belly. While they are able to be close to you, your arms are free, allowing you to do something else (‘more productive’) at the same time, such as hanging washing, dishes, looking after other young children or running your own business. Girls growing up from the 1980s onwards were told that we could ‘have it all’, so now we’re trying to ‘have it all’ without ‘doing it all’.

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Helpful tip #2 is to try and be prepared food wise. Fill the freezer with your favourite meals so you can defrost, heat and eat. Being prepared like this means that you can reduce the mental load, even just a fraction in those first few days and weeks. Future you will be thanking you! Also take the time to think ahead snack and drink wise and try and stock up on that before baby arrives. If you do successfully breast feed, it is important to keep your fluid intake up and snacks can be a great way to get some food in, especially if you find yourself skipping meals all the time.

See you next week!