Surviving Newborn-ness

Lately, I've been thinking about Maddox's (and Mason's) newborn time. It's incredibly beautiful, amazing, sweet but it's also hard, exhausting and a bit stressful. I wanted to share what I have done before the birth of my babies and in the 8 or so weeks following their birth that has helped me tremendously.

1. Plan Ahead: 

Before Mason was born, I planned ahead some. I have talked about that time in a previous post. We saved lots of money to be able to take it easier after he was born. Before Maddox was born, I prepared and planned ahead even more.

We purchased plenty of dried goods to stock our pantry. I purchased plenty of meat to stock our freezer. We also set aside a certain amount of money for June and the same for July for grabbing quick fast food or meals out when needed.

In addition to that, we purchased extra toilet paper, paper towels, detergent, etc. so that grocery trips would be for the essentials only. 

This was a HUGE help for us surviving the first two months. And the best part? We prepared enough that there is still food in the pantry and extra supplies in our storage unit.

2. Accept help

This a big one. The "world" seems to think that as moms we need to have a baby and get it all back together ASAP. I am NOT one of those people. I believe in accepting help (and I believe in providing it to others in return). 

The first thing we did to help us was have my mom come to stay with us. Of course, we wants to be here to meet her new grandchild but she came and stayed with us for 3 weeks (5 days before Maddox was born; 16 days after). This was awesome because she would do lots of playing with Mason, holding Maddox while we slept and so on. 

We also were offered meals through our MOMS Club and through the generosity of the moms in the group, we received 12 meals! 12 meals that you don't have to cook? Incredible! 

The meals I did have to cook, I kept simple. Sandwiches, quick boxed meals, etc. Thankfully, my family is not picky so I can make just about anything! 

Lastly, anytime a friend asked if they could help with Mason and/or Maddox, I said YES! I was so grateful!

3. Use Paper Plates

Yep. With Mason, I continued to use our everyday dishware. We don't really use paper products. BUT with Maddox, I said "no way". This was a major plus. We ate and then just threw it away. Best. Idea. Ever.

4. Lay Low

I had a few people say they were surprised at how well things were going for us. Every time, I told them that it was because we literally didn't do anything or go anywhere. We went out very little. Matt and I took turns going out with Mason so that one of us was almost always home. This was an excellent idea on our part. 

Oh, and it doesn't hurt that our kids are awesome, too. ;-)

5. Lots of Baby Wipes

Seriously. The Morgans love baby wipes. ;-)

6. TV is Your Friend

We always limit the time that Mason watches TV. Some days he gets more TV time than others but

after Maddox was born, we just threw that into the wind. We are spending lots of time inside, I was working on trying to figure out feeding with Maddox, life's hectic. We certainly didn't leave the TV on all day long but we definitely weren't as strict and it helped us get through those busy and hectic first few weeks.

7. Matt Took Off

Matt was off for the first week, my Mom was here until Maddox was 16 days old and then Matt took off two full weeks shortly after that. It was incredible. I highly advise that!!

So, that's it. My secrets. ;-)