‘How do I prevent a mommy burnout?’

Sometimes you can’t figure it out on your own and you could use some advice. Every Tuesday a reader therefore tells about her dilemma.

Savannah (34) is together with Coen (38) and is the mother of Lieke (7), Anniek (5) and Valentijn (2).

“In six years, Coen and I have changed from carefree yuppies into a family of five. What you call a case of ‘we didn’t see that coming’. My wish for children only came after Coen and I had been together for a year, and that we would also have three more had never occurred to me at all.

I am quite a sensitive type and get easily overstimulated. I can’t stand clutter, I am scared of loud noises and I thrive best in a fixed rhythm. Everything that is impossible in a life with three young children, so.

Also read – Mama has a burnout: ‘I ended up in a life that gulped me down’ >

Mother

Every mother is tired, I know the pun that ‘mother’ is the superlative. But since my youngest, Valentine, walks, I’m not just tired, but downright exhausted. My brain is in a continuous state of fog, and when I get up in the morning, I prefer to go straight back to sleep. I drag myself through the days and notice how my fuse is getting shorter and shorter.

Coen certainly takes care of his part, but I am forced to fill that space with my work. We go out for dinner twice a month, my parents regularly babysit for a night. Blood tests show nothing crazy, so I only wonder one thing: am I heading for a mommy burnout? And if so, how do I prevent it?”

More episodes of the dilemma? Every Tuesday there is a new story on KekMama.nl. Read the previous dilemmas here.