Taking out time for you is essential, even after post-delivery. In this feeling, you are not alone; all mothers feel the same way. It’s easy to be sacrificial so that your baby gets the best care. Taking some valuable advice from your friends and family on self-care after delivery or a postpartum self-care plan would be beneficial. Doing this would make you enjoy time with your little one too, without feeling like a stressed-out worried mother. Taking out some me-time every day for self-care after birth will help you relax, be less irritable, and attend to your toddler better. This would eventually protect you from getting into postpartum depression.
Below mentioned are the 10 tips on how to self-care after delivery or postpartum self-care plan. They are as follows: –
- Start by looking after yourself physically: Your body must have lost all the essential nutrients, vitamins, and You must start rebuilding these reserves essentially. Focus on eating nutritious food every day. Your diet should vastly include fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy products, and proteins. If you love exercising, then take slow walks only. Don’t indulge in anything strenuous, as self-care after delivery means taking rests whenever you feel like it.
- Schedule your sleep: This is another way in which you can indulge in self-care about birth. It is a common tendency for everyone to sleep when the child falls asleep. But if you are very active and always like indulging in different tasks, then taking cat naps even will seem difficult for you. You should take at least 8 hours of sleep daily as it is an essential part of postpartum self-care plan. Though you will need to wake up every night, at 2-3 hours intervals to attend to your baby if he/ she is crying. So, plan or schedule your sleeping routine in such a way that you get at least 8- 9 hours of sleep.
- Express your feelings, be it positive or negative: Hormonal changes in women are quite common. And these hormonal changes post-delivery can be one major roller coaster ride of all. So, this is another way to indulge in self-care about delivery. We all often have some negative feelings. But, if the new moms face this, they shouldn’t stress out at all. After all, this is nothing to worry about. And feeling stressed because of this will certainly do no good. But if you still feel that this is eating you up and you are unable to take it anymore, then just express it to your partner. He will understand. But, if you are looking for some advice, full of experiences, then talk to your parents for comfort.
- Buy postpartum clothes: Another way to look after you and indulge in self-care after birth is to buy some maternity clothes. But the perception should change, as everyone only talks about maternity clothes, but what about postpartum clothes? Clothes like big flowy dresses are comfortable to wear, after delivery. Wearing maternity clothes is also attached to some emotions, but after delivery, the physique changes to some extent. And moreover, wearing postpartum clothes on the postpartum body is much harder to dress than on the pregnant body. Thus, if your delivery is scheduled for winter, then opt for super stretchy leggings and long, cozy sweaters.
- Go out: Another tip on self-care about birth is to go out with friends and enjoy. It would be better if you go out in the first few months and visit places so that you don’t suffer from the postpartum blues. This generally seems to contradict self-care but it’s a great thing to indulge in. Don’t pressurize yourself for late-night parties or on becoming a social butterfly, but do meet your friends and family for a better soul.
- Schedule a hair appointment: This is another great tip for postpartum self-care plan. Hair tends to become fragile post- delivery. So, scheduling your hair appointment would be beneficial. It would be better to schedule it post-delivery after the first month or after two months. You may be worried that this may lead to ups and downs in the feeding schedule. In this case, it would be better to choose a salon close to your home. You deserve a little pampering as self-care about a delivery, as it will be good for you, your marriage, and your baby as well.
- Join a parent group: Another way to postpartum self-care plan for feeling better is to join a parent group. Social media like Facebook and WhatsApp allow you to join groups related to different categories you love. You can just browse through different parent groups and join one, as networking with new parents and meeting them regularly may end all your day-to-day concerns, post-delivery. By doing this, you will find out that there are other parents too in the group who have gone through similar experiences like yours. In this way, you might get some tips and insights that are entirely new to you.
- Exercise: Another way to pamper you as postpartum self-care plan is to exercise and do yoga. Indulge in some light exercises or yoga which will enlighten and brighten up your mood for the rest of the day. Make a proper routine of the different exercises, only after consulting a doctor. This will really prove effective in the self-care about delivery.
- Get ready for the day: This is another effective way for your postpartum self-care plan or self-care about delivery. Not from the first day, but after the first few weeks, while your toddler is taking a nap, get dressed; shower yourself, put on make-up, and do any other things which bring you happiness. This is a great pampering for your self-care about birth.
- Establish a routine: This is another great way to self-care about birth because preparing a routine will make you take out time for yourself too as well as your family and child.
Wrapping Up
Thus, self-care after birth or self-care after delivery is important, as it teaches us to prioritize our feelings too. Therefore, all the new moms should learn to indulge in some postpartum self-care plan.