Do not forget the mental and physical health of a mother. I cannot stress this enough.

For some reason it’s normal for a new mom to be left with all the responsibility, either because of the uncertainty on how to get the father involved or because of their fear that they are not good enough in the eyes of others.

Actually I would recommend for the new mom to take at least one hour just for herself. So what does this mean? This means that someone else is either outside on a stroll with the baby or looks after the baby at home. Whether it is the baby’s father or a lovely auntie, this time is very important for the mom.

Times have changed and before the baby was born, this beautiful woman had done so many things in life.

When 30 years ago grandparents came down to look after the household and the new mother, or if many generations lived under the same roof and helped out with the daily tasks, then nowadays grandparents are mostly still in workforce or live somewhere far away. In some cases they may even be living in a completely different country.

Even the unlimited access to Internet can be more confusing than helpful as there is too much information out there. Some fresh parents can brag about their baby trying to walk or trying to say mommy even after barely reaching 1 months of age. This creates a lot of questions and stress in other moms whose children do not do the same thing. Quite often this ends with a visit to the doctor’s office where they try to find out if their child is developing as he or she should.

After meeting many moms over the years, we have discussed how they have organised their ‘time for themselves’. And I hear it quite often that for a couple of months until a full year after the birth they do not have this time. Then imagine their enthusiasm when they are telling a story of their first grocery shopping or a walk on their own, alone, and how that seemed to equal to a lottery win!

So, please do allow this new mom some time for herself. What she does with it is completely up to her, but I can promise that after a small break she is more energetic and full of life because she is a happy woman!