While caring for a newborn baby is very time consuming and demanding, looking after yourself needs to remain a priority. Eating well, sleeping and resting whenever possible, while doing things for yourself and your partner (if you have one) can help parents feel nurtured, when they are giving out so much to their new baby. Sleep will be broken and there will be less of it. Some parents become so fatigued in the early months, that they find they can't even summon enough energy to look after themselves, nor spend time with their partner, family or friends.
You will need to learn to balance your own needs with that of your baby. Many experienced mothers will talk about how they used to 'jump' with every whimper from their first baby, moving to an approach like 'If you are still crying after I have this quick shower, I'll pick you up' with a subsequent baby. (Of course in many cases, their baby would be asleep when they finished showering, or if not, at least they felt clean and refreshed to attend to them!)
The following are some support strategies that other parents have found useful during their very full, and often sleep deprived, days and nights of early parenting. These are aimed at supporting yourself, as well as each other.
Support strategies for the woman in early parenting
