After Baby Tips for Mommy

It doesn’t matter whether you’ve had one child or ten…each pregnancy and post-pregnancy is a completely different experience. I recently (3 weeks ago) had my second child and while I can say that I love my new little one just as much as my first one – both the pregnancy and the post-pregnancy experiences were different than the first time around. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m older or because I have a four year old, but this pregnancy seemed much more difficult and less enjoyable than my first one – and the postpartum recovery period has been a little worse too.

Many mothers get the “baby blues” once their little one arrives, which is completely normal. However, there are some things we can do to make the postpartum process more enjoyable. Below are some tips to help you with this.

• Eat Right – After you have a baby, it’s important that you consume a well-balanced diet each day, especially if you are breastfeeding. Don’t go on a strict, low-calorie diet right away…you need the extra calories to keep up your energy so you can take care of your little one. If you are breastfeeding and don’t get the food you need on a daily basis it can affect your milk supply, making it taste sour which will cause your little one to stop eating. Eating the right foods and keeping your body well-nourished will also help keep you in good spirits too.
• Sleep – Bringing home a baby can be overwhelming because there is just so much to do. When you’re not feeding the little one, you’re either cleaning bottles, pumping, doing the laundry or trying to tidy up the house…it can be exhausting. It’s important that you get a good amount of sleep when you come home. Some of the household chores may just have to wait. Getting ample amount of sleep each day will make you a better mommy as you’ll have more energy, be in a better mood, have more patience and, therefore, will be less likely to be a victim of postpartum depression.
• Do Something for You – Most of us mommies are guilty of putting everyone else first and sacrificing our needs and wants. I’m here to tell you that you need your time too. This is kind of like sleep because when you make time to do something you like to do, it’s like therapy and helps you be a better mom when you’re with your baby. So, it doesn’t matter if you hire a babysitter once a week to go have lunch with a friend, take long baths at night or get your husband to watch the little one while you sneak out to go exercise. Do something for yourself! Shoot, maybe all you want to do is go shopping for a new baby dress or baby suit for baby pictures. Get your spouse or a friend to watch the little one while you go out and shop ALONE…it will make a world of difference!