One of the reasons I’m so passionate about being a Columbia Newborn Photographer, is that this season of life is so important and precious…and hard. I love getting to sit alongside new moms and their brand new little babes and talk about the good and the difficult parts together.
Moms are incredible. We continue to sacrifice our bodies and minds well after delivery.
We can’t care for others well unless we’ve received good care ourselves, so here are some of my favorite new mom self-care tips. I hope they’ll help you take care of you!
New Mom Self Care Tips: The Basics
Ok, let’s start with the basics. Yes, these are seemingly simple things, but you might be surprised how easy these slip between the cracks once your baby arrives.
1. Hydrate
Make sure you’re drinking LOTS of water. Often. Throughout all day and night. Your body needs this water for so much of your healing and for your baby’s nourishment if you’re breastfeeding or pumping.
This is an excellent excuse to buy a new overpriced, cute water bottle! (But there’s something about that giant one they give you at the hospital. I kind of love it.)
2. Choose Nourishing Food
It can be common to be ravenous those first weeks postpartum: eat, eat, eat! Personally, I was shocked at just how hungry I was.
Put stashes of snacks everywhere!
Being intentional about how you fuel yourself:
Nuts
Hard or soft boiled eggs
Trail mixes
Dark chocolate covered almonds
Dried fruit
Dates filled with nut butter and shredded coconut or chocolate chips
No matter what just happened to get this baby outside of you, it took a huge physical toll.
Please don’t underestimate all you’ve just been through.
You are bleeding
Going to the bathroom is an ordeal— take your time
Take your sitz baths- they really help
Take a shower
Slow down
Listen to your body
Rest, rest, rest
You probably aren’t getting much sleep, but resting well when you can will help your body recover and aid you in being more available to your little one.
4. Make your own “team” of friends to check in on you.
Whether you’re a candidate for PPD or not, “baby blues” happen to most women on at least some level.
There’s no shame in naming these very real struggles. Feeling stuck at home with a newborn, especially for the first time, can be isolating.
So before you even get to that point, identify friends you would feel comfortable sharing difficult thoughts with. Who can help you sort through the hard parts?
Tell these friends what would be meaningful to you– texts, calls, doorstep deliveries…
We are all different, and the people who love you want to know how to care for you.
Slow down. Savor. Rest. Listen to your body.
Feed it and nourish your body; you have a whole other little person depending on it now.
Oh, and that little voice in your head that tells you taking time for yourself is selfish? Shush it. 🤐 It’s wrong.
New Mom Self-Care Tips: Little Luxuries
Gourmet One-Handed Snacks
– Even though you’re tracking every darn ounce your baby ate, it’s really easy to forget to feed yourself. So hit up Trader Joe’s and fill your own bag of Mommy Treats. I’m talking fancy chocolates, protein bites, charcuterie.
Binge-Worthy Audiobooks
I love to read. I love the way a bookstore smells and likely have an overdue book at the library right now. (oops!) But my reading has slowed way down during motherhood. (I just don’t have the time or when I do, I just want to sink into the couch and stare at Netflix for awhile.)
But…Audiobooks have saved me from giving up on reading altogether. I absolutely love popping in my Airpods awhile cooking or folding laundry and being transported to another world (and drowning out everyone else).
I only wish I had fallen into the world of audiobooks when I still had newborns. This could have saved my sanity on many of the all-nighters my babies liked to pull.
There’s something about staying up all night with a fussy nursing baby that just makes you look less than rested. 😒 Keep a hydrating mist, under eye patches, and lip balm within reach. Feeling fancy? Add in a facial roller or gua sha.
Fancy Morning Coffee Upgrade
Ok, listen up, this one’s important. 😉 If you’re a coffee drinker, up your coffee game at home.
Make the cup of coffee you reach for something you look forward to!
Start grinding your beans fresh, froth your milk, make a little coffee bar with flavored syrups, don’t forget your favorite mugs in the exact perfect shape and size (yes, there are exact perfect shapes & sizes of mugs.)
And if you’re not a coffee drinker….these next few months with a newborn may cause you to reconsider. 😆
I hope today’s post has encouraged you & given you the space to think about how you’re going to take care of not only your baby, but of yourself.
If you’re still looking for a Columbia Newborn Photographer, I’d love to hear from you! Click here to visit my website & see examples of my joyful, lifestyle approach to newborn photography.
comments +