After welcoming your baby into your home, new moms often find they have little time for themselves. Your wellness can especially take a back seat if you also have older children to take care of. Read this guide to learn a few ways busy, new moms can prioritize their own health and wellness in the first few months with an infant.
1. Create a New Mom Support System
Giving birth and supporting a larger family is an immense responsibility. Whether you have a live-in partner or not, you should create a support system.
Friends and family members can remain on standby for those moments when you need someone to bring dinner over, watch your baby while you nap, or listen to whatever’s stressing you out. You’ll have an outlet for physical and mental needs that will make your postpartum experience much more manageable.
2. Accept Your Feelings
Everyone will celebrate the new life you’ve brought home, but you might struggle to share in their positivity. Sometimes new mothers get depressed and can’t pinpoint a reason for their sadness or emptiness. If that’s your experience, don’t fight those feelings. Accept them for what they likely are: postpartum depression.
One in seven women will experience postpartum depression symptoms in their lifetime, including things like:
- A loss of interest in your life
- Feelings of worthlessness
- Sharp mood swings into irritability or anger
- Insomnia
- Difficulty concentrating or remembering things
Fighting how you feel will only make your experience worse. Instead, new moms can prioritize their own health and wellness by acknowledging their feelings and talking about them with someone in their support system. The love and support will help you find solutions to get through the more difficult moments.
3. Learn About Potential Health Risks
Scheduling a quick phone call with your doctor will save you time and energy later on. Talk with them about potential health risks associated with postpartum life. They could mention conditions like incisional hernias, which may occur at your c-section incision if your muscles become weakened. Use this phone call to note your most likely symptoms based on your birthing experience.
Your doctor will be able to walk you through any warning signs and tell you when you might need to schedule an appointment. While some postpartum symptoms might be manageable, you don’t want to ignore any potentially serious complications. It’s easy to place all your attention on your newborn’s health, but your health is equally important.
4. Develop a Daily Structure
The average newborn eats every one to three hours, so you’ll better prioritize your health and wellness by developing a daily structure around when your baby needs to eat. In between bottle or breastfeeding sessions, you can find time to nap, shower, eat or do any other self-care activity. When baby is awake get outside; fresh air is great for the both of you!
Knowing that your schedule operates around your baby’s eating and sleeping will reduce any lingering guilt that may arise during parts of your day that focus on your needs.
5. Plan Your Meals
Many new moms don’t feel at their mental or physical best because their nutritional needs change after giving birth. Planning meals that include all of the nutrients recommended by your doctor will help you feel more like yourself.
These might consist of more protein, higher daily amounts of natural fats, or an increase in natural carbohydrates. It depends on whether you’re breastfeeding and what your doctor thinks is best for you. You can do this ahead by freezing crockpot meals while nesting in your last trimester.
Prioritize Your Health and Wellness
Taking care of a newborn can be a lovely, but stressful experience. Busy, new moms can prioritize their own health and wellness without disrupting their new routines by using tips like these. You’ll feel energized, rested, and supported no matter what you experience during your postpartum period.
Boston Baby Nurse & Nanny is here to support your postpartum needs through overnight care, daytime newborn care & postpartum doula support, lactation services, sleep support and more! Give us a call today at 781-444-4063.
About The Author
Cora Gold has a passion for life, happiness and adventure. When she’s not writing about style and beauty for her magazine, Revivalist, she loves to share her experience with family life. Follow Cora on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
