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Somehow I Manage: The New Mom Work-Life Balance

kmartin82

The time is 3:02 AM. You roll over and peel your eyelids apart to squint at the Hatch sound machine numbers at the dimmest setting that somehow still glares obtrusively back at you. A seemingly bottomless pit cries from the bedside bassinet, waving little balled fists in frenzied, impatient fury. It has been only a little over an hour since the last hunger-fueled temper tantrum. As you pick up the tiny tyrant, your heart sinks, knowing that the night will be long; however, the day that lies ahead will be even longer.


Are you stressed yet? If you aren’t, you might be made of steel. But if you are a mom, you are familiar with the sleep-deprived routine of cluster feeding with a new baby. The first weeks of new motherhood are already a violent adjustment, and adding a career on top of it can be daunting, stressful, and can feel like an impossible task. From Mom Life to Boss Babe - to even just trying to stay sane - here are a few tips that I have found that help navigate the roller coaster ride of the New Mom Work-Life Balance.


  1. Give Yourself Grace

The MOST IMPORTANT thing - whether you are a new mom or not - is to give yourself grace. In everything you do. It is most likely that you are your toughest critic. Now this isn’t a hall pass to slack on your tasks, but giving yourself grace and realizing that you aren’t going to be as productive as you were before bringing your new baby home will help avoid the mental/emotional crash when you feel like you are getting buried under to-do tasks.


  1. Communication is Key

Whether it is with your partner, your friends, family, coworkers, or boss, it is always better to be overly communicative than under-communicative. Being upfront about your time, schedule, and even your mental capacity can create a better understanding of your workload with your team and can aid your team to help meet you where you are. In a deadline-dependent career, being communicative about your productivity in day-to-day work can help keep projects on track and also build a line of trust and dependability with your coworkers. I like to check in with my teams at the end of my day or work week to keep an open line of communication for myself as well as for others.


  1. Keep a Productivity List

You know to-do lists, but since there will always be things ‘to do,’ I find that keeping a productivity list will not only keep me on track with organizing my deadlines with baby schedules, work schedules and life, but also helps me feel accomplished in the days where it might seem like I didn’t get a lot done. While putting simple tasks (self-care like taking a shower, brushing teeth, skincare) with everyday routines (taking medicine, making the bed) and work deadlines may make the list seem long, it’s nice to reflect on everything I got done in the totality of the day.



  1. Create a Safe Workspace

Curating your workspace is not only crucial in your productivity, but also an important practice with a newborn. Having somewhere that can foster productivity and creativity, but also a safe place where your baby can be with you safely during your work hours can maximize your work day as well as simultaneously minimize your anxiety about your new baby. For my office, I have a travel bassinet where my son can sleep safely, a baby bjorn for wake windows (his current favorite place to hang that I can interact passively with him by rocking it and still doing what I need to do), and a blanket with a few toys for his independent time and supervised tummy time breaks. This allows for sleep and playtime options that offers the flexibility of level of focus depending on the workload.


  1. Take Cuddle Breaks

You have a newborn baby! And the BEST part of having a newborn baby is the unlimited baby cuddles that come along with it. Working some cuddle breaks into your work day will help decrease stress for you, but also bring comfort to them. They’re only this little once…enjoy the new mother hood.


The New Mom Work-Life Balance is not for the weak. It takes constant tweaking, lots of grace and patience, trial and error, and figuring out what works best for you and your baby. Remember that what you are trying to accomplish is not easy and that you CAN do it! You are strong and capable…you’ve got this, mama!

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