It’s official - laughter enhances the quality of your beast milk.

Scientists compared the breast milk of mothers who had watched a funny movie, with a control group who watched a boring weather documentary.
The ‘happy’ milk contained more happy hormones! All the babies in the study suffered from eczema, and after feeding with ‘happy’ milk, those babies had some relief from their eczema, compared to the control group. (This is a real scientific study carried out in Japan and published in the New Scientist magazine!)

So now you should think about planning some happy activities into your day. Think about what really makes you laugh. Stock up on DVD’s to watch at night which really tickle your sense of humour. Read a book which makes you laugh, when baby is snoozing and you don’t feel like a sleep. Phone a person who you know will make you laugh.

It’s also a good excuse to improve the general quality of your life.
If your mood affects your baby so profoundly, that may be enough to help you to let go of some of your expectations about life. Many women are perfectionists and make huge demands on themselves. Now that motherhood has arrived, it’s hard to accept that being a relaxed mother may mean that you have to expect less of yourself.

A work-orientated background, encompassing goals and deadlines, can be a hard mindset to overcome. What your baby needs is your attention and presence, and a tidy lounge or clean kitchen is of no consequence to your baby. So. You need to ask for help, and accept it when it is offered. You may have to cut back on other areas of your life, and reallocate the money to more domestic help.

Maybe you could try to see this as a project in itself. How can you adjust your life in a way that helps you be available for your baby, but without having stressful thoughts in the back of your mind all the time about all the things you should be doing and can’t get around to? Sit down and think carefully about the things that you struggle with about motherhood. Then do some real brainstorming about ways around the problem.

You could try and be really creative and kill two birds with one stone.
For example, if your partner can be persuaded to take baby for a walk for half an hour when he gets home from work, you could use that time to do a quick wizz around and tidy up, and maybe start dinner. That means that the vital bedtime routine could be carried out by a mom who is relaxed because the house looks presentable. As a plus, dad gets to spend time with baby, and baby gets a nice dose of fresh air before bed.

Or perhaps there is a new mom who lives nearby with whom you could make a neat arrangement. Perhaps you could each have both babies for an hour or two on alternate days. Then you would know that every second day you have a couple of hours to do whatever seems important to you. As a bonus you baby gets to socialise.

The point is that only you know what is important to you. Think laterally and finds ways to make your own life easier. Then you can be a happier and more relaxed mom. As a bonus, you may find that your baby sleeps better, since the ‘happy’ milk contained extra melatonin, which is very relaxing.

Make to effort to be happier. You can do it, and you will reap the benefits in many different ways!

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