A personal story: Asking for help as a new mom
"It takes a village to raise a child"
My son was born, and he was the most precious and sweet baby I had ever laid my eyes on. Birth was hard, but not as hard as the first few weeks of motherhood would prove to be. I soon after realized that my son had colic, and reflux, but most of all - wouldn't sleep. On top of maneuvering being a new parent, tackling breastfeeding, I now had this little baby who did not want to sleep and seemed to be upset the majority of the time.
Sleep deprivation set in, and my husband and I were basically walking zombies. I wanted to believe that I could do it all, but that wasn't the reality. I am a first born child, type A personality, who thinks she can do all of the things... but after endless days and nights of not sleeping - we needed to accept help.
We had family who would come and sleep on our couch to watch baby boy while we got sleep, we had food brought to us, and tons of encouragement. Learning to accept that we all need help once and a while is not proof that we are weak, as new parents we absolutely need to take care of ourselves so we can be the best we can be for our little ones.
"The days are long, but the years are short" I thought about this quote quite a bit when we were in the thick of it. It feels like the long days and nights of crying and the postpartum season will last forever - but, it doesn't. The newborn days are fleeting and a time for learning. Make sure to give yourself grace.
We finally learned what we needed to do to succeed at breastfeeding, to help curb the reflux and colic, and made a schedule to make our baby a lot happier. It all takes time!
Just remember that if you are struggling during those sleepless newborn days, or struggling to breastfeed, reach out to family and friends. Accept the help, and find resources in your community to help you succeed!