7 Things New Moms Need for Themselves

Oh, happy day! I can still vividly remember the day I found out I would be a mom. The word “pregnant” came across the screen of my pregnancy test. I was trembling and dropped to my knees sobbing because, after years of making many changes to heal my PCOS, we were finally pregnant with PCOS after age 30. I became instantly consumed with doing everything possible to make sure our baby was good and healthy. Luckily my husband was obsessed with making sure that I got everything I needed to feel supported and appreciated. 

After giving birth, new moms have a lot on their plates. From learning to breastfeed to taking care of the baby’s needs, it can be easy to neglect your own health and well-being when you don’t have time or energy to take care of yourself. As new moms, it’s essential that we take time to relax and rejuvenate so that we’re healthy enough to take care of our kids and our homes, even if it feels like an impossible task at times. 

Here are five things all new moms need for themselves in order to maintain their own health after becoming parents.

1) New moms need a Postpartum Recovery Kit

Getting back into your pre-baby body is a process. Even if you had an easy and healthy delivery, it’s likely that pregnancy left its mark—and that physical recovery will take time. This can be frustrating for new moms, who are often told to rest but also pushed to go about their daily lives as though they hadn’t just given birth. To ensure you’re taking care of yourself as well as possible, pack a postpartum recovery kit before heading home from the hospital. Here are some postpartum kits that are ready to go.

2) New moms need Wellness Support

As a new mom, you’re learning to juggle a lot of responsibilities and priorities. Having a healthy lifestyle is important, but it can be difficult when you’re sleep-deprived and emotionally stressed. Taking care of yourself is essential to your sanity, especially so in the early days with your new baby. If you do not schedule self-care time, it will be difficult to fit it into your life in the long run. Remember that your health and wellness are just as important as that of your new baby.

Exercise is incredibly important during and after pregnancy. It can make you feel better, give you more energy, help you sleep more soundly, improve your moods and help with weight loss. These workouts focus on giving you results without making you feel tired or exhausted. You may only have 30 minutes a day to exercise, but with these routines, it will feel like plenty. Add these exercises to your daily routine and you’ll be in great shape!

3) Comfortable yet cute loungewear is important for New moms

Being a new mom is one of life’s greatest joys, but it can also be exhausting and frustrating. For your sanity (and your comfort), it’s important to make sure you have plenty of cute yet comfortable loungewear that allows you to get up and move around when needed. Plus, being fashionable will help you feel more confident about yourself, so there’s that!

4) Other Mom Friends are a great support for New moms

As you settle into your new role as a mom, take time to make sure you’re taking care of yourself as well. Getting in tune with your body is crucial to having a healthy lifestyle—not just for yourself but also for your growing baby. If you need some advice, look to other moms and friends who are in similar situations: not only can they tell you how they feel, but they can also offer tips on what worked (and didn’t work) for them. I have found new mom apps and forums helpful in my journey as a new mom

5) Proper Postpartum Nutrition is essential for new moms

It’s safe to say that most moms are simply not prepared for how tough it is to manage a healthy diet and lifestyle after having a baby. One of the best things you can do as a new mom, especially if you’re breastfeeding, is to eat plenty of protein and make sure your diet contains enough calories, fiber, and nutrients (but don’t go overboard on calories)

Here are some suggestions: Eat at least three servings of lean proteins each day—chicken breast, turkey breast, seafood (especially fish like salmon or trout), pork tenderloin (yes it’s okay to eat meat!), or beans and lentils.

For a busy mom like me, Postpartum nutrition bars from Boobie* Superfoods were a great way to get the protein I needed during the day and supplement at night when I needed to breastfeed. The hunger pangs from breastfeeding were shocking to me as a first-time mom. I was not prepared for how hungry I would get.

Boosting your protein intake and maintaining a healthy lifestyle are especially important when you’re breastfeeding. You can also add galactagogue foods like oatmeal to help with lactation and produce enough milk for your little one.

6) New moms need to practice mindfulness

Mindfulness is a key component of a healthy lifestyle. When you live in and focus on your present, rather than dwelling on past regrets or worrying about potential future obstacles, you can more easily take care of yourself. Mindfulness techniques such as meditation and yoga allow new moms to focus their energy on themselves—which is not easy after giving birth! Thankfully, these practices are easier than ever to learn through guided mindfulness.

7) Postnatal vitamins and supplements are essential for new moms

After you have a baby, it’s important to make sure you’re getting all of your nutrients. That includes vitamins and supplements. While postnatal vitamins will help, they don’t contain everything you need. Adding in supplements is a great way to ensure that you get plenty of nutrients and minerals your body needs after giving birth. Be careful not to overdo it with supplements though; more isn’t always better! When adding in any kind of supplement, start small and work your way up from there so you can determine what works best for your body. 

Final Thoughts about things new moms need for themselves

Being a new mom is hard, both mentally and physically. Although juggling work and kids have become second nature to some of us, that doesn’t mean it always comes easy. We are often so busy taking care of everyone else that we forget to take care of ourselves—and that can be detrimental to our overall well-being. When we neglect things like exercise and eating right, stress levels inevitably rise and illness becomes more likely. While you can never fully escape these responsibilities, being intentional about caring for yourself is absolutely essential to your health and happiness. After all, being a mom is hard work in itself! These seven suggestions should help you make strides toward feeling great again.

Leave a comment below with tips on how you took care of yourself as a new mom