Stressed Taking Care of a Newborn? Here's How To Overcome It

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Stressed Taking Care of a Newborn? Here's How To Overcome It
Stressed Taking Care of a Newborn? Here's How To Overcome It
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Taking care of a newborn can be both happy and tiring. Being overwhelmed with caring for a newborn can even lead to stressful conditions. If you feel tired and stressed taking care of a newborn, here's how to deal with it

Taking care of a newborn is not an easy matter because it can drain physical and mental energy. Mothers who have just given birth are generally more prone to experiencing stress due to unstable hormone levels, lack of sleep, and physically not recovering after childbirth.

Stress of Taking Care of a Newborn? Here's How To Overcome It - Alodokter
Stress of Taking Care of a Newborn? Here's How To Overcome It - Alodokter

Newborns also cry more often, urinate frequently, and have irregular sleep patterns. This condition can trigger stress, especially if you are still doing other household chores.

How to Overcome Stress When Taking Care of Newborns

Feeling stressed does not mean you have failed in your role as a mother. It's natural for you to feel stressed with piled up responsibilities.

Nevertheless, stress should be managed and not allowed to drag on. Come on, do the following things to reduce your stress:

1. Restrict family or friends visits

Although the intention is to show sympathy and be happy with the birth of your little one, visiting relatives can take time. In addition, mothers who have just given birth often receive unfavorable comments about their physique and how to take care of their babies.

Therefore, it never hurts to temporarily refuse a relative's visit until you feel ready. Give understanding that you need time to adjust to the new role.

2. Take time for yourself

When your little one is asleep, take a moment to me time. Normally, newborns spend 14–17 hours a day, with 2–3 hours per sleep session.

In between that time, take the time to watch your favorite series, soak in warm water, read a book, do a hobby, or sleep to get your body back in shape.

3. Asking others for help

Don't force yourself to do all the household chores. Dirty dishes piled up or a messy house may make you uneasy. However, Mother's physical recovery and spending time with Little One is more important to do.

You can ask your husband or other family members for help in doing housework. Your little one's grandmother and other family members generally enjoy being involved in caring for a newborn. Take advantage of their help so you can take a break and relax.

4. Spending time with your partner

Making out with your partner may feel difficult after having children. Even though it's difficult, take the time to do quality time together, even just watching TV.

Remove the complaints that you feel. Tell your partner that their support and help means a lot in carrying out the role of a new parent.

5. Massaging baby

When Mother is stressed, try to massage the Little One. Massaging a baby is a simple and effective way to forge and strengthen the emotional bond (bonding) between parents and babies.

Giving a massage can also make you calmer and stabilize your emotions. Research has even revealed that baby massage can reduce anxiety, stress, and symptoms of postpartum depression.

To make baby massage more useful, you can use telon oil which is specially formulated for babies. Telon oil generally contains a mixture of eucalyptus oil, coconut oil, and other oils, such as chamomile oil.

Traditionally, eucalyptus oil is known to give a warm feeling to the baby's body. Meanwhile, research has proven that the content of anise oil is efficacious in overcoming flatulence in babies.

The coconut oil content in telon oil is also believed to have benefits for moisturizing and protecting baby's skin from drying out.

6. Exchange ideas with other mothers

Often times stress comes from not understanding how to raise children. For example, not knowing how to handle a crying baby, having trouble breastfeeding, or worrying too much when the baby shows unusual behavior.

In order not to panic, equip yourself with various knowledge about baby-rearing methods. Mothers can join the parent community to share stories and exchange knowledge with other mothers. The connection that is built can be a support system in carrying out the mother's role as a parent.

The existence of a discussion room with experts also provides an opportunity for mothers to ask questions about obstacles in taking care of their little ones. Armed with knowledge about caring for babies, mothers can avoid stress that may occur after the delivery process.

Those are some things you can do to deal with the stress of taking care of a newborn. Try not to accumulate and suppress stress so that it doesn't lead to postpartum depression. Unlike the baby blues, which generally go away after 2 weeks of delivery, postpartum depression can last longer.

Don't hesitate to consult a psychologist if you experience symptoms of the baby blues or postpartum depression.

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