From Ralene

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Bringing Home Baby

It finally happened. After umpteen hours of labor, you delivered a bouncing baby (insert sex of child here). At first glance, you fell head-over-heels in love, cherishing each little cry and every cuddly moment. With breathy excitement, you load your bundle of joy into the car for that first trip home. Walking into your home with baby in your arms, you can’t believe the blessing God has given your family.

And then reality hits.

Laundry needs to be done, dishes washed, groceries bought, kids toted off to school, bills paid…the list goes on. And sometimes, all that with hubby in the field, on TDY, or deployed.

How does one survive life with a newborn? How do you get everything done? Forget everything…just anything? Between the exhaustion, baby’s cries, and whatever else demands your attention, where do you find the time? We look at the Proverbs 31 wife and wonder how we’ll ever succeed without losing our sanity.

Here are a few tried and true tips:

1. Admit that perfection is a thing of the past.

Perfection is not only unattainable, it’s also the quickest way to the loony bin when you have a baby. So, as with any “problem,” the first step is to admit it—then work through the stages. Yes, the dishes may need to be washed every day, but vacuuming can be relegated to once or twice a week—along with scrubbing the toilet. Laundry is a constant chore, but ironing can be done on an as-needed basis for now.

2. Become the List Mistress.

If you thought pregnancy brain was bad, wait until you get a load of total-exhaustion-baby brain! That’s right. You’ll barely remember your precious little one’s doctor appointments, much less that you need to buy milk and pay the phone bill. Become a lover of lists.
The most important list is a daily To-Do. Start with a piece of paper (size dependent on how busy you are). Divide that paper into three parts. In the first section, list the things that need to be done today—the doctor appointments, bills, and anything else scheduled. In the next one, list the things you WANT to accomplish today—daily cleaning assignments, phone calls, etc. And in the last section, on-going projects and low priority tasks that aren’t due for awhile. Most important—know the difference between the three!

3. Pre-plan!

You have enough to worry about. Don’t make things harder on yourself than necessary. Plan out your meals for a week, then figure out what you can do in one sitting. Make enough salad to last a week. With Hamburger Helper, brown two pounds of hamburger instead of one, and put the extra in the fridge for spaghetti or sloppy joes another day. Try to plan your appointments and grocery shopping on the same day. Group your necessary phone calls. In contrast, break down your cleaning into manageable daily tasks. Don’t try to over schedule. Babies take time and you won’t have the energy.

4. Eat healthy and exercise.

You may wonder what these have to do with getting everything done, especially when exercise actually takes up MORE time. Well, it’s simple. Salty, greasy, or overly-sugary foods will slow you down, zap your energy, and keep you from losing that frustrating baby weight. Instead, eating healthier foods and drinking lots of water will help you feel refreshed and confident—giving you a better outlook on your day, and life in general. Exercising three times a week will go a long way to help you build stamina. Plus, exercise releases endorphins, and endorphins make you happy! Happy people get more done.

5. Make time for YOU.

Another psychological influence to get you on track. Sometimes we get so bogged down in what we’re supposed to do, we forget to make time for ourselves. The old adage is true—all work and no play makes Mommy go crazy. Okay, I tweaked it a little bit, but it’s still true. While life with a newborn doesn’t lend itself to lots of free time, and it gets cut even more if hubby is gone, it’s still necessary. Find a fellow mom and swap kids once every other week for a couple of hours. Take the opportunity to do something for yourself like going to the salon or taking a long bath (most likely you’ll want a nap). WARNING! This is not the time to do extra cleaning or grocery shopping.

6. Keep your relationship with God fresh.

This is probably the most important of all the suggestions. We all practically live off of Philippians 4:13. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” But only if we let Him strengthen us. How do we do that? Prayer. Immersing ourselves in the Bible. Taking time to listen. God wants us to lean on Him. He wants to help us. We just have to be open to it.

Life is ever-changing. Babies are ever-changing. We can keep these new changes from throwing our entire world into chaos with these few steps.  Of course, don’t forget, seeking encouragement and support from your friends here at Wives of Faith is also an option.

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