I just became a mama a month and a half ago. What an incredible, beautiful, emotional, and challenging experience it’s been so far! Do I love it? For sure. Have I loved every minute? Definitely not. There have been breakdowns and moments where I wonder to myself: Can I actually do this another day? Motherhood is a lot of wonderful things, but it’s also tough. I have learned that self-care for new moms is so very important, and needs to be prioritized in order to maintain good mental and emotional health, and take care of my baby the best way I can.
Self-care for you may not look like everyone else’s version, mama, and that’s ok. Even if spa days and brunches seem far fetched, there are plenty of ways you can enjoy yourself and recharge that are completely doable as a new mom. Here are some of my best tips to help you do just that!
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Get Help
One of the best ways to make sure you’re doing well is to enlist help from those around you. Trust me, you really can’t over-ask for help at this point in your life. Give a family member or friend a call to help you clean the house, make a meal, or just hold the baby while you sleep or do something relaxing. Having people around can also help if you feel lonely or disconnected from others. Just spending time with some friends can help improve your mood, and looking after your mental health is a very important form of self care! I was able to call my mom, sister, or one of my in-laws to take my baby for an afternoon, or just spend the afternoon with me. I would say it’s the number one way I’ve been able to handle the craziness of being a new mom.
Schedule Your Self Care
Having a schedule as a new mom might seem impossible at first. In the first few weeks after having my baby, I quickly learned that my idea of schedules and routines had to be majorly adjusted as I followed my baby’s direction for sleeping, eating, and cleaning. What helped was making a point to do something, however trivial, that I enjoyed, at least a few times a week. If you can, take a little time to read a book, watch your favorite show, or just take a hot shower. Remember that you like doing things too! Instead of just hoping you might get around to one of these activities, make a plan for when you can take a few minutes for yourself. How do you do this? Try taking a few minutes every other day during one of you baby’s naps, having your partner watch the baby in the evening, or asking a friend to take the baby for an hour or two. Find what works for you, but make sure you plan ahead. Remember, it doesn’t have to be a long time to be effective. 10-15 minutes of time all to yourself can help you feel refreshed, as can an entire afternoon. If you don’t have someone to watch the baby for a long period of time, but can afford a few minutes during nap time, take it!
In a few minutes you can:
– Read a few pages to your favorite book
– Make yourself a coffee, tea, or other favorite drink
– Go outside just to get some sun and fresh air
– Journal
– Make a snack
– Lie on the couch for a second and scroll through Instagram and not feel bad about it
A great tool is this super cute printable self-care planner. This 15-page planner includes a meal planner, mood tracker, workout tracker, self care activities, and much more! It’s a great inexpensive way to feel a little more on top of life while your navigating being a new mom. I love how much more organized I feel using the lists and worksheets, plus it gives SO MANY great self care ideas for those little pockets of time.
Make Sure To Do the Little Things
“It’s ok to let the baby cry for a minute.” That’s what my husband had to tell me when I came to him crying that “I can’t even get up to get water or go to the bathroom!!! Everything feels completely overwhelming the first few weeks after having your baby, but realize that it’s ok to take a moment and make sure you have your water, a snack, vitamins, or whatever else you need to make sure you are good to go. I’m not talking about leaving the baby to cry it out while you take a leisurely shower, but there is nothing wrong with setting a fussy baby down for a minute while you go to the bathroom or put some clothes on. It’s better to let the baby fuss for a minute while you get what you need than to feel frustrated that you can’t put her down. She’ll be ok, you’ll be ok, it’ll all be ok.
Have a Baby-Free Afternoon
What helped me feel refreshed in weeks 5 and on were little outings with friends or my husband, where I dropped the baby off with family beforehand. There were just some activities that were only possible if someone was watching the baby, and each little outing felt like a much needed break from my daily baby-caring duties. If you can (and want to!), plan a little date or outing with friends and find a willing party to watch the baby. A short bit of time alone to go see a movie, eat out, or spend some time with friends can really help balance all that time spent looking after your baby. At least for me, a little time apart felt great, but also made me miss my baby which made our time together so much sweeter.
Take Care of Your Body
Your baby is relying so much on your actual body for all its needs. Your body provides her source of food if you breastfeed, but also comfort through holding, rocking, and changing. What your own body needs may not get prioritized unless you make it a point to prioritize it. It can be easy to feel like nothing more than your baby’s milk jug, but you are so much more than that! Your body is literally sustaining another human being, which is AMAZING, but takes so much strength and energy (which you have by the way!) Remember that your body is vital to your baby in so many ways, and in order to take care of her, you need to take care of yourself. Some short and sweet ways to do this:
- Do a five minute skin care routine
- Brush your hair
- Eat a fruit or vegetable
- Go for a brisk 15 minute walk
- Put on lotion, face moisturizer, and chapstick
- Take a few deep breaths and tell yourself you're doing amazing– because you are!
- Do some muscle-strengthening exercises
- Get a foot rub from your friend or family member
- Relax your shoulders– they are probably tight from breastfeeding
- Do a quick stretch each time your baby stretches!
I hope you find some of these tips helpful in staying refreshed and positive during your first few weeks and months of motherhood. You may not feel like superwoman everyday (even though you are) in fact some days you may feel exhausted and overwhelmed. But remember to take time for YOU because that is how you can best take care of your baby as well. You’ve got this!
Self-care is so important especially for new moms!
These are great tips I wish I’d read this when I’d first had my little one!
These are helpful tips for new mums
Aww congratulations on the new mommy role. It is the best gift in this life isn’t it? I have one daughter and she is my entire life.
Loved this read! self care is so important, especially for moms who sometimes forget to take time to them selves !
You can truly not over-emphasize the need for new moms to take care of themselves. When you are doing great then you can take care of your baby better. I love that your first point was to ask for help, I personally feel that it is the single most important thing any new mama can do for themselves. Thank you for sharing.
Wow, I can’t imagine what new moms go through, let alone single moms. You guys are amazing! These are some awesome tips that are definitely going to help a lot of new mamas out there xxx