I just wanted to take a shower

This post was written by one of our Mamaway Mums. She has 3 young boys and is keen for the Mamaway community to give her a little advice on how to manage doing the things that used to be simple to do before she had kids.

Can someone please explain to my incredibly beautiful 3 week old baby son that I am much more capable of looking after him properly after I have had a shower?

I know I can have a shower when my partner gets home tonight. But I’m overtired. I’ve been up with a sick baby all night. I feel like I’m covered in sticky milk. And, because I have a newborn I haven’t changed my sheets in 3 weeks (that’s my excuse anyway), so I feel GROSS and I want to have a shower NOW!

Unfortunately my poor sick little man just won’t settle and the chance for a shower while he has a 30 minute nap is looking slimmer and slimmer. And why is it that the more tired a baby gets, the less capable he is of going to sleep???

So tell me, what are my options? If you do have any suggestions PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE mention them on Facebook or Twitterbecause I’m desperate.

Here are a few that I came up with:

• Put him in the sling and just shower with the sling on. Didn’t do this. Logistics to my baffled brain pre-shower seemed too much. Now I’ve showered, I reckon I could have worked it out because he loves the shower. Just would have needed to make sure that shampoo didn’t end up in his eyes and then washed the sling afterwards.

• Put him in his bouncer and put that right outside the shower door and sing to him. Did this. Was disastrous – he started crying as I was shampooing.

• Call a neighbour and with a pathetic 11am pyjama look ask them to just hold him for 30 min. Chickened out…why is asking for help SO hard?! Oh that’s right. Because I’m afraid they’ll say, “No.” Or that they’ll say “Yes.” But actually it’s a really bad time for them and also because I’m afraid that they’ll think I’m a bad mother.

• Suck it up and just feel gross and disgusting all day. Maybe should have done this, but now having had a shower I do actually feel infinitely better.

The irony of the situation is that bub is now asleep and has been for 20 min – WOW it’s practically a record for today. I wonder if he is sleeping now because it is Murphy’s Law and that’s just how it works. Or because, even though the shower was a tear filled traumatic baby crying experience I was infinitely more capable of looking after him properly once I had had a shower.

Well bub may be asleep, but the house looks like a volcano erupted and the 2 year old and 4 year old have decided that it’s time for mum’s attention.

Thanks in advance for your advice on how to have a shower. If today hadn’t been SOOOOO traumatic, I’d almost feel ridiculous asking for advice on how to shower.

Feel free to send through any other tips you may have on getting through the day – e.g. as I sit here drinking cold tea, I’m desperate to know how any new mum manages to drink a hot cup of tea or coffee. I’m also keen to know how to prevent the 2 yr old and 4yr old from destroying the house while I breastfeed.

#Adviceformums