Life has changed! There’s a new baby in the house AND you’ve decided to be a stay-at-home mom. Undoubtedly you’re aware of how baby disrupts your household schedule–from nighttime feedings to illnesses to being so lovable that all you want to do is hold her. What you may not have taken the time to realize is the personal adjustments necessary to adapt to life as a stay-at-home mom. How can you make this time enjoyable for both baby and you?

Take care of yourself
You hear this advice all the time, and if you have other children, you know: Enjoy your baby–babies aren’t babies very long. And it’s true! But there’s also some other important advice to add to the mix: Remember who you are and who you want to be in the future. Don’t forget you do have a personal future! It’s keeping these two nuggets of wisdom balanced that will enrich your time at home with baby. Here are a dozen ways to help achieve that balance:

1) Keep a positive attitude. Isn’t that something you had to do in the "real world," too?

2) Search for creative outlets with other mothers. Join a baby-care class, a discussion group, or parent-child play group where you can meet informally with other new mothers. Often groups for young mothers are sponsored by churches and meet during the day. Many provide on-site child care while you’re busy learning and sharing.

3) Pursue old interests and develop new ones. Take a class in a subject that interests you, such as cake decorating or computer graphics, through community education. Sign up for a sewing or quilting class at the fabric store. (Many classes will allow you to bring baby, and some education centers even provide on-site daycare.) Or, you could start up an in-home business, where you can keep your own hours. Let your natural curiosity guide you.

4) Take time for yourself every day. With cooperation from your spouse, you can take a relaxing soak in the tub, go for a walk, or bake a soufflé.

5) Read newspapers, magazines, a good book, or a professional journal. You should do this, no matter how old the children are!

6) Bring your work skills and habits to your life at home. Get dressed for the day and have a plan–after the first couple of weeks, hanging around in a robe all morning is depressing. Make being a mom your job, and organize accordingly.

7) Keep a journal. Commit to paper how you feel and what you think. Rereading your entries later is wonderful therapy.

8) Exercise regularly. It’s important to take care of your own body as your children’s.

9) Eat well. Healthful eating impacts your whole life.

10) Play with your child. The baby’s never too young for that, and you’re never too old.

11) Volunteer your services. It will broaden your outlook. Many newspapers run weekly lists of agencies looking for volunteers–some for as short a time as an hour or two at a time.

12) Say "no" to things you don’t want to do. As a stay-at-home mom, you’ll be amazed at the number of requests to come your way.

Words of advice for stay-at-home moms
No matter how much you enjoy being a stay-at-home mom, there are sure to be times when you find yourself climbing the walls. Don’t despair–that’s normal! Just taking a few minutes to chat with another stay-at-home mother will help you realize that you’re not alone. Also, enlist help from your baby’s father. Ask him to take over while you get out of the house for a little while or have him schedule a baby-sitter so the two of you can have a night out. Remember, becoming a father doesn’t turn a man into a mind reader–you need to let him know what you need.