Value yourself as a mother. Remind yourself that you are performing one of the most important jobs anyone can do. If you want to, write affirmations down on paper and stick them around the house, to help you remember.
Try and maintain a sense of humour, or focus on what is positive and working. Pat yourself on the back for all the positive, or funny things, that happened in your day, rather than what went wrong.
If you have a partner, involve them in your baby's care from the start. Be positive about what they are doing.
If you are a single parent, try to set up your own support network of family and friends (preferably before the birth). Make caring for yourself, your baby and sleep priorities. Join a mother's group, or contact a single parents' support group (if these are available in your area). Check with your baby, or community health centre (or the local phone book). When you feel ready, try to organise a baby sitter, so you can have some time to yourself. This may involve paying someone, or trading time with other mothers.
Make sure you have ready access to phone numbers handy for the various community and parent support services in your area, especially 24 hour numbers you can use when parenting becomes stressful or difficult.
Use every opportunity to top up depleted reserves, by resting when you can and having frequent nutritious snacks. This will help make things easier to cope with (well, most of the time anyway!) Make sure your fridge and pantry are filled with easy to eat energy foods. Fruits, yoghurts, nuts, muesli bars, soups and bread can be grabbed 'on the run', if you don't' have time to prepare a proper meal. Perhaps some nutritious frozen meals that can be commercially purchased, or you may have made some up during the pregnancy, can mean that you don't go for hours without eating, because it is all 'too hard'.