https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Mon, 27 Apr 2026 23:53:43 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-saved-your-sanity-during-maternity-leave#post-2548351 Fri, 13 May 2016 07:44:39 +0000 snowjewelz 2548351@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My iphone/ipad... It was how I connected to the world, haha. Amazon Prime helps too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-saved-your-sanity-during-maternity-leave#post-2548347 Fri, 13 May 2016 07:42:37 +0000 Alba4 2548347@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I took a post natal yoga class with DS which got me out of the house and I met new moms. My mom came weekly to help too! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-saved-your-sanity-during-maternity-leave#post-2548286 Fri, 13 May 2016 06:28:51 +0000 erinbaderin 2548286@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@gingerbebe: Yes, Target for me too! Target Canada opened shortly before I had my first son and I went there all the time, I'd get a chai latte and just wander around. Not sure what I'm going to do this time. </p> <p>Also my next door neighbour had a baby a week before me and we became friends over mat leave - it was so nice to have somebody to talk to who was going through the same stuff. This time her son is 3 months older than mine so we still have a good leave overlap. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-saved-your-sanity-during-maternity-leave#post-2548285 Fri, 13 May 2016 06:25:57 +0000 Ms maths 2548285@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Having a partner who could spend significant amounts of time at home. With LO1, he was on sabbatical until the baby was 2.5 months (and then we both went back to work). With LO2, he arranged his schedule to be home a lot the first 2 months and then had summer break from teaching. Having another adult around regularly was amazing. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-saved-your-sanity-during-maternity-leave#post-2548280 Fri, 13 May 2016 05:48:06 +0000 catomd00 2548280@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Working from home! It was so depressing being home alone all the time, work kept me busy! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-saved-your-sanity-during-maternity-leave#post-2548279 Fri, 13 May 2016 05:40:26 +0000 Charm54 2548279@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Honestly, having a long maternity leave. With both girls I only really started to enjoy and savour it after 6 months. I am so so totally in awe of moms who go back to work after just a couple months (or even weeks!!!). Total rockstar status. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-saved-your-sanity-during-maternity-leave#post-2548276 Fri, 13 May 2016 05:29:07 +0000 Cherrybee 2548276@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Nothing saved my sanity the first time around. I was an anxious, depressed mess. The anxiety continued until E was 2.5 and I sought help (while pregnant with #2). </p> <p>This time around, im making a concerted effort to get out and about, reach out to anyone and everyone, accept help from family...... but the game changer was therapy. I wish I had found this therapist 2 years ago! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-saved-your-sanity-during-maternity-leave#post-2548225 Thu, 12 May 2016 23:07:25 +0000 gingerbebe 2548225@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Stroller walks. I had terrible PPA/PPD and once I got on medication, I could pinpoint certain times of day I would start to feel an attack coming in, so I always took a stroller walk at 10am and 2pm. The walking boosted my serotonin and it countered the anxiety. Plus my colicky screaming reflux baby could holler all he wanted and was usually calmed by the walks.</p> <p>Target. I live one minute from a Target and it was a place I could either go myself to zone out late at night or take the baby if the weather was bad for a walk and quickly bail if things derailed. They had changing stations and I always needed something related to the baby and I could have a Starbucks or an icee or a pretzel. I would impulse buy makeup and hair products and swing by the vitamin aisle for biotin to combat my post partum baldness. I could look at clothes and pick up groceries. I spent a lot of time at Target. </p> <p>Nap when the baby naps. This didn't come into play for a few months with my son's colic and constant screaming and reflux, but once he was sleep trained, I was so chronically sleep deprived that for months and months I napped when he napped to catch up on my sleep deficit. Especially because you never knew what the nights would bring and not getting enough sleep is an anxiety trigger for me, so I slept like my life depended on it (cuz it did). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-saved-your-sanity-during-maternity-leave#post-2548217 Thu, 12 May 2016 22:32:43 +0000 Iced Tea 2548217@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The biggest help was a deal I made with my husband: I feed the baby, husband feeds me. Trying to heal and feed a constantly nursing baby just didn't leave any time or mental space to plan and prepare meals. So he took over food duty. We got take out sometimes, but he always made sure there was food for me to eat. That took off so much pressure. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-saved-your-sanity-during-maternity-leave#post-2548187 Thu, 12 May 2016 21:27:46 +0000 Corduroy 2548187@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>For LO1 it was a local mommy group. I joined when I was pregnant because I heard they had good used gear listings. I went to a "play" date the day I went into labor and I took LO at 3 weeks. </p> <p>I also took LO1 to a SAHM friend's place often. She had a kid one year older. Sometimes we took a break by playing with/holding the other kid. Sometimes she would let me go grab lunch while she watched the kids. It was awesome. </p> <p>We moved by the time LO2 was born. I didn't find this local mom group to be a good fit. I went to weekly BFing support classes. I also did some Hike it Baby hikes. Visiting with LO1's DCP at drop off and pick up helped keep me sane too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-saved-your-sanity-during-maternity-leave#post-2548168 Thu, 12 May 2016 20:53:24 +0000 Foodnerd81 2548168@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Somewhat similar, I did a Great Befinnings class for moms and babies that were like 6-10 weeks old when it started. Everyone was in the same boat with unpredictable babies and it forced me to get used to going out with a newborn. I made a bunch of good friends through it that I still see several times a month. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-saved-your-sanity-during-maternity-leave#post-2548163 Thu, 12 May 2016 20:47:46 +0000 DillonLion 2548163@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had a somewhat difficult delivery, trouble with breastfeeding, and just a difficult adjustment into motherhood at first (everything sort of settled down a few months later, but that beginning part still gives me anxiety to think about). </p> <p>The first time I took LO out by myself was to a breastfeeding support group at my hospital when she was 8 days old. I remember feeling so incredibly happy that I was able to get out and go somewhere with her which meant we'd find our new normal soon enough and I felt like life would relax a little eventually. I felt like I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Until that point I was so traumatized about everything. The support group was somewhere I could commit to going each week (if I felt like it), saw friendly faces (nurses, other moms who went each week) and got out of the house, which really helped me deal with postpartum anxiety. Being stuck at the house is a big anxiety trigger for me, so knowing we could easily leave made me feel so much better. It was also super low pressure in terms of being able to just nurse if you needed to, have a crying baby, etc. It couldn't possibly be more welcoming in that regard as well, of course. </p> <p>Anyway, I'm just thankful for that breastfeeding support group! It was a lifesaver for me in so many ways. </p>