Dress c/o | Bag c/o | Annabelles’ Dress c/o | Shoes c/o
I’m not going to lie, I barely did any work for the first two months of Annabelle’s life. All I found myself doing was breastfeeding 24/7, worrying about breastfeeding, researching breastfeeding, going to breastfeeding classes…okay, okay you get the gist. My life was CONSUMED with breastfeeding and I don’t regret a second of it. Through all the anxiety and tears, I persevered and looking back I know I needed that time for just the two of us. Now that I’ve gotten a handle on things (kind of), I somehow manage to work in between feedings and naps and also maintain my previous schedule with some adjustments and much-needed help. Before having Annabelle I would cram as much work as I could into one day and although it felt so rewarding to have a backlog of blog posts, videos, and social posts I knew I wasn’t going to be able to maintain this type of work schedule once she was born. I’ve had to let go of a few side jobs to keep up with being a stay at home Mom (this work is hard!) so I could maintain my Youtube channel and blog while dedicating most of my time to her. Here are my tips for those Moms out there that are adjusting to newborn life and trying to work from home too!
- Recognize your baby’s sleep patterns. At first, Annabelle’s naps were all over the place! They still kind of are though. Sometimes she will only sleep for 30 minutes and other times an hour or two. You really have to learn to be flexible and know it may take you a couple of hours to complete one task because you have to pause for breastfeeding breaks. Once I learned she had two big naps in the morning, that helped me get ready for the day and plan out what I needed to get done so I didn’t get overwhelmed.
- Be realistic with your expectations. There’s no way I’m able to get done what I used to in a day now that I have Annabelle pretty much next to be at all hours throughout the day. That means I now have to wake up early on the weekends to work so Doug can watch her.
- Get help. This kind of comes with number 2, but if I didn’t have Doug to watch her for an hour (or even 20 minutes sometimes), hardly anything would get done. Sometimes you just need a couple of minutes to yourself without balancing your laptop on your legs and a baby on your lap while typing at the same time with one hand…this happens all the time! Actually, I’m doing it now:)
- Start each day like you’re going to see someone. Of course, you’ll be living in pajamas 24/7 for a while after your baby is born and there is nothing wrong with that, but once you want to start working it’s important to prioritize a morning ritual so you still have some part of your day that motivates you.
- Wake up before your baby. I know this sounds CRAZY, especially if you’re one sleep deprived Mama, but trust me, it’s magic! Once I started getting up just an hour before Annabelle wakes up I’m able to get fully ready and eat breakfast, which isn’t something I can ever do while watching her. It’s impossible to blow dry my hair with her nearby. I feel so guilty! It makes such a difference to my day when I wake up before her.
I’m also doing a giveaway on Instagram today! I’ve teamed up with @zooshoo to give away 2 lucky fans a pair of their favorite J ADAMS shoes! All you have to do is:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Thanks!! #3 is most likely the one I’ll have to take advantage of more soon. I have been learning how to edit videos and that is something that is really frustrating to get interrupted with. If I leave and come back to it, my entire train of thought is gone! Then I feel like it’s a “half-done” job (putting it nicely lol). When do you usually edit?
Thank you so much for this post! My baby Noah will born ate the end of August and I’ve been thinking how things will work for both of us. Your videos and blog posts have helped me so much!!
Thank you a lot! xoxo from Brazil!!