If you ever needed an example of a mom who takes time out of each day to care for herself, it’s Claire Sanderson. Claire, 34, is mom to a 10-month-old son, Noah, and quickly got back into intense physical training after having her son. “I don’t feel like myself if I haven’t gotten a workout in – I love running the most and am training for the NYC marathon, but I also lift weights and hike,” shared Claire.
Despite the natural high that comes from a good workout, Claire does have days where she deals with anxiety. “I can turn myself into a little bit of a tornado if I let myself and then nothing goes right. I have to work very hard not to go down that road and work to pull myself out,” Claire says.
Luckily for her, she has great moments to help combat the anxiety, because she loves to watch her son who loves to discover new things and is, generally, just a happy baby.
The new mom has decided not to take Noah into stores or indoor public places since he’s so young during the pandemic, so her family village comes in for support. “If I need to run errands like that, I’ll ask my in-laws to look after Noah, or wait until the weekend when [my husband] is around."
When they found out they were expecting Noah, Claire and her husband, Nick, moved to their lake house in the Poconos, PA, and left New York City. It has been hard to find friends nearby because they live in a rural area where everything is so far away. This has given Claire a different experience as a new mom during a pandemic.
“We have been very fortunate to have a safe place to live, but I do definitely mourn the experience I wish I would have been able to have if we weren’t in a pandemic. My parents live in the UK (I’m British), and they never got to see me pregnant due to the travel ban, and only just got to meet Noah for the first time last week when they were able to fly to Canada and we drove up to meet them," she shares.
Claire shared that because her job was not remote-friendly, she had to quit and had never envisioned herself as a stay-at-home mom, which has been a major adjustment for her.
“Right now [this] is what is making sense for our family. I’m working on blogging as a way to work from home, but it’s tough to carve out time during the day, and I am working to put more of my focus on that,” she explained.
Here's a day in the life of Claire:
What areas of your life do you think need more balance?
I think Nick and I could work on connecting a little more at the end of the day – we tend to watch TV and look at our phones in the evening as we’re tired, and don’t get too much time to catch up. Nick works from home, but I barely see him – he works really, really hard!
Are there certain things that you’re always the one to do/think of vs. your partner?
I tend to be the planner and research what milestones we should be working toward, what/how much Noah should be eating, what new toys he needs, what clothes he’s growing out of, etc.
I, like most mothers, feel like the primary parent most of the time and feel like I have to tell my husband what to do, but it’s something we are aware of and working on, for sure. It’s definitely the cause of some tension, as it can be pretty overwhelming and a lonely role at times, but Nick is amazing and always willing to help out, but sometimes just needs a little nudge to take a more active role.
If you could hire one person to help you with something, what would it be and why?
I think I would hire someone to cook and plan our meals and clean up the kitchen. I feel like I do it a hundred times a day!
What is one thing you wish someone had told you about motherhood?
I wish someone had told me how lonely motherhood is, and how scary it is. It also goes so fast, and I can’t believe how big Noah is getting already! I’m also a completely different person, and have to work to remember who I was but also be proud of who I am now.
People also like to focus on how little sleep you’re getting or bring you down into the trenches with them, but it’s also so much fun. Noah is such a little character and enjoys everything – it’s contagious and hard not to laugh when you’re around him. He’s the best thing I ever did.
If you could give advice to a new mom, what would it be?
When you read and research what you want to know, there will be a hundred different ways to raise your child, and there is always someone who will tell you that you are doing something wrong. Concentrate on what works for you and your family – you will get so much unsolicited advice (sooooooo much) and try to take what is right for you and put the rest out of your mind.
