Tis’ the season to be jolly with the Christmas party period about to start, but instead of looking forward to the occasion, a number of new mums are silently struggling with leaving their babies behind for the first time.
Parenting on Female First
After months of sleepless nights and being devoted to baby around the clock, mums deserve a break, but a recent survey by mother and baby brand, Cussons Mum & Me, revealed that nearly a quarter of new mums polled won’t contemplate leaving their baby with anyone else until at least the eight month mark and even when they do, up to half feel guilty about leaving their baby behind.
Over 11 per cent missed their baby so much when they were out that they were brought to tears.
After making it out of the door, 88 per cent of mums are using their phones to text or phone home up to six times a night to check in and six are even resorting to apps such as FaceTime to say their goodnights.
The phrase “mum knows best” definitely comes to mind with over a quarter of mums polled admitting to feeling the “separation” anxiety because they felt “nobody could look after their baby quite like them”.
A Spokesperson for Cussons Mum & Me said: “Leaving baby at home for the first time is often a very daunting prospect for new mums, it’s in a mother’s very nature to want to stay and protect their baby, but it is important to have a little ‘me’ time every now and again.
“After getting past the hurdle of the first day or night out without your baby, it does get easier but there’s no pressure to rush the process, it’s different for every individual and it is essential to be comfortable to feel truly relaxed.”
Cussons Mum & Me is a new range of products designed to help with the amazing realities of becoming a mum. The range addresses three keys needs of mum and baby – sleep, skin and hair and has been designed to help with every stage of the journey – from bump to new mum to baby.
Cussons Mum & Me polled 1,000 mums with children under 10 to gather the information.
For more information and full product details see www.mumandme.com