For any mum who ever felt they didn’t adapt to motherhood instantly, or lacked that feeling of being a ‘natural mother’, you don’t need to feel guilty. It has been revealed that 53% of mums do not bond with their baby instantly, and 86% of mums say they did not get a ‘new mother glow’.
 
You can feel reassured to know that a third of new mums (37%) said they feel most unattractive, least sexy (36%) and pressurised to lose baby weight (31%) after giving birth. Not only do new mums lack low body confidence after having a baby, one in ten say they will never feel confident again. These new figures come from ‘Reality of Parenting’ research with 2,000 new mums by Colief Infant Drops.
 
Many mums admitted to feeling unprepared for a baby with 28% saying they felt petrified at the thought. Perpetuating the ‘natural mother’ myth, more than half of mums (54%) pretend to cope and nearly a third (32%) feel embarrassed or ashamed by the reality.
 
Lack of sleep is a big issue for new mums, with 79% saying they find it hard to cope because they are not getting enough sleep. The average mum is losing three hours sleep per night, and 62% say baby’s crying also causes them stress. A third (33%) of mums said their baby cried more than expected and 30% endured an average of three hours of crying a day.
 
Parenting psychologist, Alison Knights said: “No one feels 100% prepared for the arrival of a baby and the pressure of being a ‘natural mother’ can be unhelpful. It’s a learning curve and ‘good enough parenting’ is what helps babies thrive, so new mums should not be hard on themselves for not always getting it right. For example, a crying baby is not the baby criticising the mother’s parenting, it is simply a communication to say ‘I am not feeling good and just need you to be with me and help me calm down again’. Some babies will cry more than others, particularly the one in five that suffer with colic – a sign being excessive crying in an otherwise healthy baby. If you suspect this, then speak to your health visitor or pharmacist.
 
“When your baby cries, it’s important to keep calm as babies are sensitively tuned to parents’ emotional states and if you feel yourself getting worked up, share the responsibility with the father or another family member. Remember, having a baby is a major transition which requires a lot of emotional hard work from all concerned!”
 
Many mums feel more support is needed, with 42% of mums saying they felt at their most alone with their newborn. Shockingly 90% of mums say they did not receive any help.
 
For more information and advice about colic, please visit www.colief.co.uk.
 
Studies have shown that the hours of crying may be greatly reduced when babies are fed their usual milk treated with Colief® Infant Drops.
 
Priced at £11.99, Colief is suitable for breastfeeding and bottle-feeding and is available from pharmacies nationwide. 

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