Having a baby is one of the biggest life changes you can make. And whether that baby is your first or your third, it’s bound to have an impact on your social life. After all, when you’re awake all night with your teeny party animal, you probably won’t have much energy the next day to keep track of your social calendar. Hours and days merge into each other as you focus on the important things; feeds, nappy changes and desperately trying to catch a little sleep. Yep, new parents simply aren’t the best friends. It’s nothing deliberate, it’s just that heartwarming combination of absolute exhaustion, having no clue what you’re doing and desperately trying to stay afloat.
But, those friendships you don’t have time for are one of the only things that will keep you sane during those early months of motherhood. As you lose yourself in a never-ending pile of dirty laundry, your oldest friends will be the ones who remind you who you really are. Your new mama friends will be the ones who get you, they understand why you can’t string a sentence together in under half an hour and why you mostly want to talk about nappy contents. They get it, they’re with you on the frontline. In short, no matter how seemingly impossible to maintain a social life as a new parent, it’s important that you do. Here are three ways social media can help you to stay social as a sleep deprived new parent in 2016:
1. By providing 24 hour access
The best thing about modern technology is that it knows no time constraints. You can log onto Twitter at 3am and find other new mamas up doing night feeds. You can send whatsapp messages to your friendship group at midnight because you’re up with a fractious baby (might be worth checking they have their notifications set to silent first!). You’re never alone with modern technology and that’s something that can prove invaluable when you’re knee deep in the newborn days.
2. By allowing spontaneity
The great thing about modern technology is that it allows for instant communication. Long gone are the days of trundling between villages on the off chance your friend might be home, these days you can communicate remotely. Babies are unpredictable and you can never quite tell how you’re going to feel on any given day. You might feel exhausted after a night of broken sleep or absolutely amazing after a solid four hours kip (that’s as good as it gets). Loose Ends App allows you to meet up with friends at a moment’s notice. You can send an invitation to your friends to find out if anyone is free to meet up. This is perfect when you’re having one of those days and just need to Get Out Of The House Now.
3. By being social
Social media allows you to stay connected even when you’re not with your friends. It can help friendships to grow and strengthen by allowing you to stay what you have in common with new friends. Each time you share a status, upload a photo or send a tweet, you are connecting with your online friends. You don’t have to bump into people to have a chat, you can comment on their photographs or join in discussions on their Facebook pages and this allows you to connect with friends without even having to leave the bedroom (ideal when you’re stuck under a cluster feeding monster).
How do you use social media to keep your social life ticking over when you’re busy with small children?
This is a collaborative post.