I’m struggling to cope as a new parent – where can I get help?
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Having a baby can be thoroughly wonderful and thoroughly overwhelming. No matter how prepared you are, how many books you’ve read or antenatal classes you’ve been to, nothing can fully prepare you for meeting a tiny human, and the realisation that it is now your job to take care of them.
It’s a huge, joyful, lovely, sleep-deprived job, but it can leave you feeling depleted and at times, like you’re struggling to cope. It’s important to know that you are not alone. “You’re new parents, it’s a huge thing you’re entering into. You’re still learning. It’s something you’ve never experienced before,” says Ruth Duckworth, parenting coach at Action for Children’s Parent Talk service – a free online chat support for parents. “We use the phrase so often, but it’s important to know; it’s OK not to be OK. It’s quite normal.”.
Not sure where to turn to for support? You really do have lots of options…. When to seek help. It can be easy to tell yourself this feeling will pass, or, ‘I’ll give it a week and see how I feel then,’ but there’s no need to wait to speak to someone. Duckworth says if you’re feeling overwhelmed, struggling to cope and like it’s all too much, don’t hesitate.
“It’s really important to be aware of what the symptoms of parental burnout are,” she adds. “It can be feeling quite distant from your child, feeling quite exhausted, physically and mentally. It can affect sleep. You can feel quite depressed or isolated.
“We really encourage people to just come onto the chat service, whether they’re looking for support or whether they just want somebody to listen,” she says. “It’s very often easy to think, ‘I just need to sort out the baby’s needs first before my own,’ but I often use the airplane analogy about putting on your oxygen mask before anyone else’s.”.
