Battling the Baby Blues

New moms are overwhelmed with a roller-coaster ride of emotions just after the little one makes his/her debut. Happy that the pregnancy is over, sad to lose the "because I'm pregnant" excuse for sleeping all day. Elated to have a new baby to love, distraught from losing countless hours of much needed sleep. Pleased when baby sleeps an extra hour, disappointed because your milk just isn't coming in fast enough. The baby blues is perfectly normal form of emotional torture. Some women only experience the blues for a week or two after the baby is born, but for others, it seems to never go away. Sometimes it leads to depression or worse. There are plenty of simple ways to help fight the baby blues. #1: SMILE try to maintain a positive attitude. Watch a funny movie, read jokes in the news paper or online, bake you favorite cookies, invite a good friend over just to talk... #2: FEEL GOOD ABOUT YOURSELF don't let your post-pregnancy body get you down. Your body goes through extreme changes in the few weeks or even months after the baby comes. Put some make-up on, do your hair, buy an outfit for the in-between sizes time... #3: RELAX it's hard to relax when you have an infant that depends on you for everything. Don't try to clean the whole house in your few spare hours. Lay down, take a nap, watch a movie, soak in a warm bath, wear your pj's... #4: SPEND SOME TIME ALONE even if it's just for an hour or two. Do something for yourself, go to the mall even if you don't buy anything, get a massage, get your hair or nails done, go see a movie, get a Slurpee (they always make me feel better),... #5: UNDERSTAND THAT IT WILL ONLY GO AWAY IF YOU WANT IT TO the baby blues are somewhat parasitic and will only stay as long as you let them. In someways it is out of our control when they come or go. Do everything you can to keep from feeling down. If you feel you can't control it or that it may not be going away, see a doctor. Some women have it worse than others and may need more than self-reassurance. Consulting a doctor about the baby blues is normal and never a bad idea. Not consulting a doctor may allow the phase to stick around even longer.

FOR THE DAD
There are many ways a husband or partner can help. Here are a few ideas to consider:

~Buy her flowers
~Make her favorite meal
~Write a note about all the things you love about her
~Avoid arguments. If she says something you don't agree with, forget about it
~Volunteer to get up in the night
~Understand that she may be emotional
~Don't beg for sex. It is not only undesirable but extremely painful to her at this time
~Make her a treat (chocolate may not be the best choice if she is nursing)
~Offer to watch the baby while she goes out
~Understand that she may not only want a new outfit, she may need it as she is in between sizes
~Kiss her
~Tell her she is beautiful
~Paint her toenails - with permission
~Give her a massage
~Allow her some alone time
~Forget about yourself and your own needs. She needs you more than ever right now
~Accept feeling like a slave, it is nothing compared to how she feels right now
~Change a few diapers
~Do the chores without being asked, she will need to spend her spare time sleeping
~Buy her a card
~Show her you love her; about a million times a day should do...
~Make her feel special

(feel free to print this and give it to your husband or partner)