Your Body and Mind Won’t Always “Play Ball”, as They Say
Imagine handling postpartum depression entirely by yourself, with no external support. That’s kind of a scary thought, isn’t it? Even so, many mothers who either work singly at home or are by themselves on maternity leave, face this exact situation. That’s actually a bit dangerous.
Physiological changes, hormonal changes, and emotional changes are a dangerous mix. Look, everyone has moments in life where their decisions aren’t necessarily based on that which is reasonable or logical.
What happens is, that the power of emotion takes over, compelling action that wouldn’t even be conceivable under normal circumstances.
When you’re a new mom who is simultaneously the only source of income for yourself and your baby, and you’ve got nobody to rely on, that’s a recipe for disaster. You’re under more stress than most people in that scenario. Accordingly, you want to seek out parental support groups and resources well before the child is born.
If you’re not in a good place physically and mentally, you may even have trouble producing nourishment for your child. We’re going to look into that briefly.
Milk Supply Issues
There are quite a few different things you can do to enhance milk supply. Follow the link for suggestions. Diet and mental health actually play a part here. Associated diet makes sense, but where your mind is at represents something a bit more abstract. As a working mom, you don’t have a lot of time. Here’s the thing: your baby will dictate nursing for a while.
Some experts say you should start “recalibrating” the schedule of your child when they reach about six months of age. It will depend on you, and it will depend on the child. But what if you’re in a Work From Home (WFH) situation, the baby gets hungry, and your breasts are “dry”? Then what happens if breasts get engorged while the baby sleeps?
Also Read: How to Help Your Child with Homework?
There are multiple different ways to handle this, one of the best involves learning to express more consistently.
Now, that’s where the mental side of things comes in. Put on some gentle music, and maybe recordings of your baby’s voice. Find yourself in a peaceful, low-light environment. Maybe have a piece of your baby’s clothing you can smell.
These sensations trigger your body subconsciously and can help you produce milk. If the baby is asleep, bottle the milk and refrigerate it; it will last a week. It can last up to a year frozen, though such milk isn’t quite as healthy as that which is fresher.
Also Read: 3 Ways to Maximize Your Kid’s Early Childhood Education Experience
Being Ready
Certainly, nothing can really prepare you for being a new mom. You can intellectually explore the concept until you’re more well-read than most parents.
Still, you’ve got to experience parenthood to understand it. If you’re a single mom in a WFH situation, you’ve got a more steep uphill climb. That said, with parental resources both psychological and medical, you’ll be better prepared.