I remember the moment as clear as day. We were at the dinner table with my in-laws. My gorgeous new baby was nestled in my arms and refused to be put down.  

That’s when the thought hit – I’m never going to eat with two hands again! 

Was it silly? Heck yeah. Short-sighted? Absolutely! Melodramatic? Um, yes. 

But in that moment, I was hungry, tired and felt adrift from normal life and all the adults around me. 

Yes, those ones, the ‘Look at me, eating with a knife AND fork!’ ones. 

Another few weeks like this, I thought, and I would surely take leave of my sanity. 

Being a New Mum Is the Best…and SO HARD! 

So, what was going on?  

I knew I loved this little milky being with my whole soul, and I’m not normally unhinged, so why wasn’t I floating on a cloud of happiness? 

The answer can be summed up in three words – Exhaustion. Isolation. Anxiety.  

Exhaustion 

Everyone knows that having a baby makes you tired, right? 

So surely when they see you wandering aimlessly in a milk-soaked jumper and messy bun (the non-glam kind), they know you’re running on fumes and will jump in and help. 

Um, no.  

After the excitement of welcoming baby home is complete (4 hours, in my case, maybe longer in yours), everyone disappears.  

The nights are never-ending, and yet somehow, not long enough at all.  

No one seems to understand the depths of your exhaustion. 

Isolation 

Back to the point above, after the excitement wears off, people move on with their day-to-day lives. 

It’s tough to keep up with the old goings on of your non-parent friends, and they think you’re a bore.  

Ouch. The loss is absolutely real, and it hurts. 

Anxiety 

Anxiety – because someone handed you a real, legit, tiny human being, a packet of maternity pads and waved you on your way out the door. 

Whaaaat? 

Even the most confident mumma has moments of sheer terror, because this plump little delight came with no instructions.  

Baby Classes Were a Godsend 

The cousin who gave me a voucher for baby sensory classes could well have saved my sanity. 

From the very first sensory class, I realised that this was great for bub – and unbelievably great for me too.  

Every week I get to spend time bonding with my baby surrounded by a community of women just like me.  

They just get it, and honestly, that’s been a game changer.