New Mom Self Care

The first three months with a newborn are the hardest days of your life. When I had my son, we were in the hospital for one night and then they sent us home. When we got there I was half relieved to be in the comfort of our own home and half terrified that it was just my husband and alone with a newborn and 8 year old daughter.

Personal care is hard when your mind is only thinking about taking care of a baby and sadly I was having trouble keeping up with the most basic self care. Here is a list of tips I found helped me when I was trying to survive the first few months: 

Hair

Messy buns are a staple hairstyle of new moms and while I personally love messy buns, they are horrible for your hair if done everyday. Instead, I suggest brushing and twisting your hair into a bun. It will help keep your hair tangle free and when you want to go out it leaves your hair with perfect waves!

Vitamins

Don’t skip on your prenatal vitamins! Your body still needs them especially while breastfeeding. I really felt like I had more energy from them too.

Body Odor

After having a baby your hormones are CRAZY. I found that no matter what, I had horrible body odor! I was also using Tom’s deodorant because I didn’t want toxins getting into my breast milk but it barely helped. I found that wearing perfume made me feel less gross and using baby wipes to clean my underarms helped with the odor.

Dental Hygiene

Brushing your teeth becomes a daunting chore when you have a newborn. I found myself falling asleep on accident before brushing my teeth at night and I ended up getting cavities from my neglect. Dental hygiene is hugely important to your overall health so make sure you brush and floss!

Nutrition

I gained more weight after I had my son than I did while I was pregnant. Hormones made me so hungry and since I was so tired I just ate whatever was quickest and easiest. Most of the time that meant unhealthy food. So take care of yourself and nourish your body with healthy food.

Mental Health

As you know, mental health is a big concern postpartum. The lack of sleep made me feel crazy and trying to take care of everyone was overwhelming. Know when to ask for help. I went to therapy with my daughter for help with her sensory problems and found that I benefited with having someone help us get back on a good path of mental health helped us cope with the new normal now that we had with an additional family member.

Be Selfish

It’s ok to say no. I am by nature a caretaker and people please. But after I had my son I knew I only had enough energy to take care of the two of us. Communicate with your partner if you need them to step it up. And you don’t have to go places if you aren’t feeling up to it. People will understand that you are exhausted.