5 Practical Ways for New Moms to Balance Work and Motherhood
Many new moms assume that there is a way to perfectly manage everything that comes with motherhood as well as everything that comes with being a working parent but they believe that they just haven’t been able to “crack the code” yet.
This could not be further from the truth – the sooner you accept that you will need to make adjustments in both areas of your life, the happier you will be. It will take time for you to adapt to your specific situation so be patient with yourself. It takes a lot of trial and error to figure out what works for you and your family.
On the plus side, there are a few ways in which you can streamline your day to help you achieve a better work-life balance and we’ll be sharing those with you today.
How to Balance Work and Motherhood
1. Invest in a Wearable Breast Pump
Wearable breast pumps are a game-changer! These pumps are ideal for working moms because they are easy to use, discrete and most importantly, they are hands-free.
With conventional pumps, you have to stay tethered to an outlet or large battery which can interfere with your workflow. A wearable pump fits right into your bra so that you can pump while you work allowing you to multi-task effortlessly.
Another plus point for wearable pumps is that, unlike conventional pumps, they do not have tubing which means that cleaning takes just a couple of minutes. If you’re on the fence about buying a wearable breast pump because you’ve heard that most of them cost around $500, there are some good brands that are under $150.
Not all pumps are equally good so a review of the best wearable breast pumps by independent experts will help you choose one that meets your requirements.
2. Plan Ahead
Planning ahead seems like such an obvious way to help you manage your day but a lot of new moms don’t do it because they believe that their schedule is too erratic to support planning ahead.
It’s true that there will be days when your baby wakes up several times during the night while there are other days when they only wake up for an early morning feed. However, you can factor these changes into your plans so that you follow a different routine for tougher days.
For instance, if you’ve not had enough rest, you can order healthy takeout so that at the end of your day, you won’t need to worry about cooking or washing up after. Or you can learn to use healthy dump-and-go slow cooker recipes to plan for busy days. Planning ahead allows you to take control of your time so that you can meet your personal and professional responsibilities.
Another way in which you can plan ahead is to arrange for family or friends to help with childcare for an evening when you have a big project that is due later in the week. This will allow you to finish your work ahead of schedule which will reduce your stress.
Meal prepping is another way to plan ahead and it reduces the mental load of decision making when you get home from work and gives you a little additional time to relax and de-stress.
3. Learn To Delegate Tasks
Some of us have a hard time with task delegation, either because we feel that we can do a better job or we don’t want to burden others. Trying to manage everything by yourself will only lead to stress and burnout so you need to share responsibilities with others. Learning to delegate tasks both at work and at home will go a long way in helping you balance work and motherhood. It’s hard, it’s uncomfortable, but it’s going to save your sanity so just do it!
4. Put Aside Time for Self-Care
As a new mom, you want the best for your little one and your family but it’s important that you also prioritize your own needs. Ignoring self-care will impact your physical, mental, and emotional health which will make it impossible for you to manage your work and home responsibilities. When you’re planning your day, put aside time for basic self-care including exercise and relaxation. Relaxation techniques such as deep breathing and mindfulness reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. You can also add yoga with baby into your routine. This will help to improve your mental and emotional health so that you can handle the various aspects of your life without feeling overwhelmed.
5. Get a White Noise Machine
Disturbed sleep is an unavoidable part of motherhood as you need to wake up for multiple night feeding sessions. However, if your little one is a light sleeper, you may be forced to wake up just to help soothe them back to sleep.
Waking up several times a night will result in sleep deprivation and this will affect your cognitive abilities and decision making which will impact your work life as well as your home life. This is where a white noise machine can work wonders!
Studies have found that 80% of babies fell asleep within five minutes with a noise machine compared to just 25% without a noise machine. White noise machines help to mask background sounds so that your little one is less likely to wake up during the night. This will improve your sleep quality and quantity, which in turn, will improve your ability to balance your work and home responsibilities.
