When I became a mom, I was amazed how often I initially neglected taking care of myself. Sleepless nights, and long days of caring for my children when they were babies often left me with little time or energy for basic needs such as taking showers, sitting down to eat nutritious meals, cooking, and sleeping. I found that once I developed a self-care routine that I was able to balance with parenting, I had more energy to take care of my children’s needs while feeling happier and more content as a mother. Incorporating a self-care routine allowed me to develop and maintain a more optimistic mindset as a new mom, giving me more energy to care for and enjoy time with my children.
From growing and nurturing each of my children in my womb, experiencing the ups and downs of pregnancy hormones, experiencing the beauty, unpredictability and complete surrender to a higher source during childbirth, as well as navigating nurturing infants completely dependent on me while recalibrating my own changing hormones throughout my body, the entire process of becoming a mother, including the beauty and challenges of pregnancy, birth and new motherhood, has taught me to love and care for myself more deeply so that I can love and care for others more deeply on this planet.
Exercise as a new mom
Exercise allowed me to reclaim my body after pregnancy and childbirth. Consistent exercise was important for me to feel less inflamed, more energetic, and stronger through increasing muscle mass, improving body composition, and becoming more confident in my body shape.
When I was pregnant with each of my children, I gained more than the recommended amount of weight. I weighed about 210 pounds the day before giving birth to both of my children. When I was given the green light by my doctor to start exercising after my C-sections, I started an exercise program. I started with 10-minutes of walking, and slowly over months started incorporating weight training. Ten minutes may seem like a short amount of time, but small, consistent efforts over time lead to great results. Weight training was so important for maintaining and building muscle mass, supporting bone density, body shape, and help with metabolism and body fat regulation. I was amazed how even after ten minutes of some type of exercise, I always found myself more clear-minded, less agitated and happier. Some types of exercise that I initially incorporated as a new mom were walking, yoga, body weight training, and rebounding.
Feeling happier and more confident in my body’s strength, allowed me to feel more energized, strong, and confident over time both in my ability to set goals for myself and achieve them. I also felt more grounded in my body and proud that I was taking actions of self-care towards my own growth, development, and happiness while also nurturing my young children.
Sleep after becoming a new mom
Sleep was the one variable that I missed the most initially after becoming a new mom.
Sleep is so important for the body to properly reset and recover every day. The ability to get good quality, uninterrupted sleep, is crucial for the body to recover from exercise, reset your metabolism every day, prevent illness and colds, as well as function optimally throughout the day. Without good quality sleep, health and wellness suffer. My first birth was more difficult to recover from due to the lack of sleep I got before the birth, the long labor, two weeks past due
date delivery, and nature of the emergency C-Section. I found myself more irritable, having more hormonal shifts that felt difficult to manage emotionally, and just more tired due to my lack of sleep. After my second birth, I prioritized sleep more and I found the recovery much easier after giving birth as well as recovery throughout the first few post-partum months felt much easier and more manageable. Getting good, quality sleep is an act of self-care that many
new moms don’t prioritize.
Meditation
I also found meditation to be very helpful in my self-care journey. Taking 5-10 minutes to just “take a break” from the long hours of parenting as a new mom can be a very effective way to feel better. Whether it was lighting a candle, yoga, stretching, silence, mindful intention exercises, going for a walk, taking 5-10 minutes to just breathe and focus on having positive thoughts and a positive mindset always allowed me to feel more peaceful, calm and patient when interacting with my kids, friends and family. Whatever religious or mindfulness faith you practice, taking 5-10 to sit in silence, chant, breath, connect with a higher source/God, or “clear your energy” through whatever method you resonate with is helpful in shifting your energy to feel more positive, lighter, content and peaceful.
Morning Routines
Mornings can often feel rushed. Having poor sleep quality and too many responsibilities to juggle can feel overwhelming and make the process of even getting out of bed feel daunting.
Taking time first thing in the morning to rehydrate and reenergize through a soothing beverage was a very helpful way for me to start my day on a positive note. Especially after having children and interrupted sleep for several years after childbirth through long nights of feeding or soothing babies, developing a morning ritual was even more important for me to feel energized and help me reset for having a successful, productive and enjoyable day. I noticed that when I took the time to enjoy hot lemon water, juice, coffee or tea, taking the time to enjoy a beverage in the morning was a time when I could check in with my body, quietly set my intention for the day of what I wanted to accomplish, and gather my energy for being the best possible version of myself for the day.
Importance of Positive Thinking
Finding ways to think positively is an important part of self-care. Studies show we can control our thought process and how we think by choosing positive thoughts and affirmations as opposed to negative thoughts. For example, learning how to speak nicely to ourselves and view ourselves positively, as well as developing an awareness of negative thinking patterns allows us to control and change our thoughts. To give a personal example when both of my children were babies, I often found myself awake at strange hours of the night during various stages of their development (such as newborn and teething to name a few). Whenever I would feel frustrated or sad when my kids were crying, I would affirm positive statements to myself such as “I am doing a good job taking care of my child,” “Things are getting easier day by day,” “I am getting the hang of this,” I remember the energy in my body shifting to become lighter and more loving as I said these statements to myself. My mood and mindset consistently became more positive as I made a conscious effort and decision to say these more positive statements to myself, rather than continuing the moment within a negative and judgmental state of mind where I was solely focused on the hour or the night or how tired I felt in the moment. Learning how to be our own best cheerleaders and positive affirmation coaches can allow us to shift negative thought patterns when or before we notice them becoming a pervasive pattern, allowing us to feel more consistently positive and happier.
