New parenthood naturally brings a whirlwind of change. The systems and routines that you may have used in the past for structuring your life may not adapt so easily with a newborn. But for new mums, getting our heads around all things baby health, nutrition, medical appointments, and all the other thousands of considerations, can easily see your own health, wellness, and physical post-partum recovery fall to the wayside.
If you’re a new mum reading this right now, take this as your sign to invest in your own health and wellness alongside your new baby’s. But we do acknowledge too, that this can be easier said than done. So how can you carve out time for yourself every day amidst all the minutiae and mayhem of new motherhood?
Here are some simple post-partum wellness tips that may help you gently restructure your self-care and wellness routines day by day.
Don’t forget about your own GP appointments
The foremost consideration when reinvesting in your wellness post-partum is simply making sure that the only doctor’s appointments you’re making aren’t just with your paediatrician. New mothers have plenty to discuss with their GPs in their first few weeks to months post-partum.
For instance, did you know that the increased iron demands of lactation can increase risks of anemia in new mothers? These risks are also further exacerbated for mothers who experienced blood loss during their delivery. So if you’re breastfeeding and are having difficulties with iron absorption, you may need to book yourself in for an iron infusion with your GP.
Other more common health risks for new mothers include heart palpitations, surgical infections (post-caesarean sections), and postnatal depression. With regular GP visits, new mothers can improve chances of early detection and symptom monitoring and management, helping you stay happy, healthy, and present with your family in those precious first few months post-partum.
Maintain a gentle and adaptive exercise routine
Oftentimes, the biggest wellness obstacle for new mothers is just making the time to move. Reconnecting with the joy of movement can be complicated by the addition of carrying around a newborn – and all the accessories and supplies that accompany them. But if you’re battling back and neck pain from all the heavy lifting and other physical demands of new parenthood, you’d be surprised to hear that fighting through these and maintaining some gentle exercise is actually the key to overcoming them.
So how can you move safely and easily post-partum? There are postnatal yoga classes, gentle stretching exercises, slow walks with your stroller, and even just some basic at-home exercises with dumbbells that new mothers can do at any time of the day and for any duration. Basically, start slow and build gradually – not to fit a regime, but just to reconnect with your body in ways that feel most natural and enjoyable for you.
For some mummas, fun and gentle exercise could mean enrolling in some reformer pilates classes. For others, it could be as simple as just kicking a footy around or taking the dog out for a jog. So long as you’re feeling personally enriched and getting all those heart-healthy endorphins you get from a daily dose of exercise.
Prioritise rest, sleep, and stress relief
Sometimes, investing in your own wellness means just letting yourself sit and breathe. If you check in with yourself and realise that what you need most is rest, then rest.
Again, this is easier said than done for new parents. Absorbing all of your new responsibilities can lead to some serious overwhelm, however, so if you don’t let yourself just have a lazy day here and there, you’ll go insane.
If relaxing isn’t coming easily to you, there are also ways you can fake it till you make it. A great recommendation from paediatricians is for parents to sleep whenever their baby is sleeping. Newborns can sleep for up to 17 hours a day, so there are plenty of opportunities for mums and dads to alternate to ensure you’re both getting the rest you need.
Remember too that me-time is a vital component of rest. If you want to maintain a little mindful activity in your downtime like knitting, reading, meditation, or virtually any other hobby or activity that replenishes you, then let yourself do just that. This gentle downtime can also help you reconnect with your capacity for self-regulating rest and sleep. For instance, you may find it easier to sleep by reintroducing a wind-down routine like reading a chapter of a book before shutting off the lights. It’s all about finding what works for you and adopting these little restful measures as part of your new post-partum routines.
Go on excursions, escapes, and solo dates
Speaking of routines, the first goal that most parents face is simply getting their baby on a strong daily schedule. With this stability in place, families can feel more comfortable and confident in planning outings with their baby, knowing their little one can enjoy their first excursions without having to worry about being hungry or sleepy during the experience.
But excursions aren’t just enriching for newborns! New parents can also bridge any personal difficulties they may be having with bonding with their baby or feeling comfortable in their growing family by simply making time for family outings every now and then.
And if what you need is a little relief from family outings, then that’s okay too! In fact, you could take yourself out on a solo date alongside doing gentle park strolls with the pram in tow. For new mothers who miss time with their friends and loved ones, you could even head off on a little local retreat to the coast with your girlfriends. No doubt, your parents and in-laws would be totally supportive of you taking a little break to reconnect with yourself because they’ve been there before and they know how transformational even a few days away can be.
Keep spaces in your home that are just for you
Babies can take up virtually all of your mental space – but they can also physically take over every room in your home. Slowly, the clutter of your nursery will spill out into your living room in the form of playmats, toy chests, highchairs, and many, many little things that can be very painful if stepped on.
This is why more new parents are adding wellness home design projects to their nesting and babyproofing to-do lists. Having at least one baby-free space in your home can work wonders for your mental health as new parents. This space can also be anything from a games room or home office (where exposed cables don’t have to be cause for alarm bells), or even an outdoor living space, like a hammock where you can sit or read or maybe even a fenced off pool or jacuzzi spa.
These baby-free spaces can be a major asset to prioritising your own wellness as a new parent, namely because all you need to do to enter the self-care zone mentally is to physically go to that curated zen space.
Curate your own post-partum wellness habits
Just as your ideal zen home space is dependent on your own tastes and preferences, so too are all the wellness habits you opt to integrate into your daily routine as a new parent. It will take a little trial and error to find post-partum wellness habits that work best for you, so our best tip would be to just stick with it and let yourself make decisions based on your own personal needs.
