Becoming a mother is one of the most amazing experiences that one can go through, the love you feel for this small human that you have just created cannot be put into words. However while you feel you may burst with love, it is also an extremely overwhelming experience. That is why it is so important to have a great support network and to look after yourself. Practicing self care is not being selfish, it is self preservation. How can you look after a baby if you can’t look after yourself.
Sleep when the baby sleeps is the best advice that can be given to a new mother, especially at the start, you will soon get into a routine but until you do sleep when you can. You will spend a lot of time either trying to get the baby to sleep or feed whether you are breastfeeding or bottle feeding. You will need some comfortable loungewear. Marks and Spencers is the ultimate in luxurious cashmere or jersey jumpers and trousers. You can also save money using this M and S discount code.
Take some time to look after you, we know it’s easy to rely on dry shampoo and deodorant in the first few weeks but you need to take the time to relax too. Relaxing into a bubble bath will help ease the stitches or even just your mind. Depending on whether or not you are breastfeeding you may not want a glass of wine or bubbles for your bubble bath but a glass of something may help you relax. Audiobooks will be a godsend in the first few months as holding a book and a baby at the same time is not easiest. You need to do something that interests you and reminds you who you are.
When you finish that relaxing bath remember to slather yourself in cream, aside from feeling like a new woman there are many benefits to doing so. Stretch marks are part and parcel of being pregnant but you can ease them by using Bio Oil or Marks and Spencers Mum to Be Oil. Chapped nipples although soothed by cabbage leaves may also need you to lather them in cream too. Take time out, relax, have a bath and pamper yourself.
It is easy for new mothers to lose their sense of identity, between the exhaustion and the constant washing and cleaning it feels like there is no time left for you. Cooking something tasty and healthy for you becomes a luxury. You need to eat well to keep your strength up, especially if you are breastfeeding.
This is why you should treat yourself to some ready made meals. Marks and Spencers stock a variety of cuisines, it depends on your taste. They offer Italian, Indian, Chinese, good old British staples like a steak and kidney pie and also have a wide range of choices for vegans or vegetarians. Why bother with the hassle of cleaning, chopping and cleaning again when you can peel back the plastic and put the dish in the oven while you then busy yourself with something more pressing or sit down and relax. You will have a gourmet meal in a third of the time with zero effort.
Babybjorn offers some fantastic advice for new mums and well friends and family too. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, you can’t do it all yourself. Remember to get out for at least 10-15 minutes a day. Staying in all day is not god for either of you. Take an hour a day for yourself, check your emails, have a cup of coffee, just relax and let dad take over for a minute.
