Creating Schedules and Finding Mummy time

It feels like a day should have 60 hours for you to be able to do everything that is required as a new mum. Noisy and fun nights-out long gone and in place loud cries of a baby in need of care and affection. It’s no secret, being a new mother comes with sacrifices no one could ever fathom unless you are squarely in it.

Gazing at your friend’s Instagram, beautiful pictures of you clearly missing on them and wondering if your past self is gone forever. In someways, yes it has, it doesn’t mean its a bad thing, only that you are a little different. The first thing anyone in such a situation should do is accept the situation they find themselves in. It helps make you understand where you are and where to go from there. When you find out you are pregnant,  make lots of time for family and friends. You will have the memories to keep you going on those sleepless nights. Having a good support system is also important, but handling the limited time is the key to an easier journey to motherhood.

A Schedule is a specific layout of events or duties to be performed within a given time frame. It’s something very simple to make but not easy to put in place if you are one of those people that hate routine. I am, but this time i made an exception and it worked. Being a new mum and doing most of the rearing myself, I began to plan everything in detail as soon as i gave birth.

It involved a careful study of how my baby behaved i.e sleeping pattern, feeding time, when he was most fussy and when he was most active. With this information I made a schedule customized to his needs. My observation was that the sleeping pattern came at very specific intervals and changed with time as he grew older. This meant that the schedule had to be adjustable.

I also noticed that I could now predict the exact time my baby would wake up or needed a bottle and i planned my time around that. As he grew older,I studied his colic time and that begun at 6.pm and ended after bath time at around 8.pm.

The advantages that come with a schedule are immense.

1.Free time. During the day, you have the ability to fit in other duties when the baby is sleeping. E.g clean, watching a movie or work! At night you can have longer sleeping hours by setting a reminder 5 minutes before your baby wakes, feeding him before he cries helps him to continue with uninterrupted sleep. This in-turn will help the baby learn to sleep through the night when they grow older.

2. Babies with a schedule have an easier time adjusting because the repetition of activities allows them to know what happens next. E.g having bath time right before bedtime helps them learn to settle down after an active day. They learn to associate the bath with sleeping time.

3.When the baby is awake. Knowing his most active hours is important because you can slot in learning activities that use up the extra energy positively e.g tummy time Or a simple game. When he is fussy you can sing to him or watch videos of baby songs on YouTube.

Read more: Are your Children Scared to Fall Asleep?

4. Having a schedule is important because it gives your appointed caregivers a manual to your baby while you are away. They don’t have to be guessing what the baby wants every time he cries. And you can be sure he is getting the same care as you would give him.

5. You could get back to it even if you miss one or two days because of travel or other circumstances. There are good days and those that  make you want to did your head in hot oil at the thought of getting up, you are not alone, i have had those, we are not perfect and motherhood is not seamless. You best bet is to do your part and hope that it can make up for your shortfalls. Now, wake up the next day and try again!