When I became a mum for the first time, I remember feeling in awe, amazed, excited, nervous, ecstatic, humble, teary and overwhelmed at this amazing life we had created. This beautiful, perfect creature was my first born daughter, Samantha. Weighing in at 9lbs 4oz, she was no small baby! I was also a 9lb baby as well.
I couldn’t believe I was “allowed” to take this precious wee parcel home with me. I had become a mum, with no instruction manual on how to look after this wee one. I had no idea how to be a Mum. Surely they weren’t letting me take her home!! But as every mum does, we learn along the way, how to best care for our child. We make mistakes, we are not perfect, but the amazing bond and instant love I felt for my child saw me through the sleep deprivation, long nights feeding, changing, rocking and learning.
Being a bit of a perfectionist, I tried to be the perfect mother, breastfeeding, bathing, washing nappies (yes I didn’t use disposables on the first one), housework, cooking healthy dinners (I pre-made dinners and froze them while pregnant for those first months), hour long exercise classes to keep in shape. I sang to Samantha, read to her, talked her through everything I did. I rushed around and soon felt exhausted! I never napped. I notice a lot of first-time mums try to do it all. Believe me, I’m nowhere near perfect, I didn’t get it all right, I couldn’t get this burping thing to happen and I thought you had to bathe babies every day, so the poor thing would have a complete bath in the middle of winter every day!
I subsequently learned from my first baby. Rest. You don’t need to do it all.
From the second we become a mum, we start to put our new baby first and looking after ourselves can sometimes go down the list of priorities. Suddenly we find ourselves having to decide whether to shower, eat or sleep in those precious 30 minutes we might get to ourselves when hubby or partner can take over. Or if you are a single mum, time off is even harder to come by. Doing our hair, putting on make-up or exercise can be suddenly be put in the too hard basket. We get in a cycle of feeding, changing nappies and getting our precious newborn to sleep.
There are big changes happening to your day, and it can feel overwhelming. You find yourself eating whatever is easiest and not being able to make the healthiest food choices.
Exercise might be something you just can’t think of now, while you are busy looking after everybody else. Believe me, I know how you feel, Exercise? Some days you can barely get a shower in…
Make Sure You Do These 5 Things For You:
1. Better ZZZZ’s
Get sleep whenever you can. Working out will help you sleep better! You may think I’m so tired I will have no trouble sleeping. Sometimes this doesn’t happen so well. You will be getting interrupted sleep initially and maybe for a while. Working out will help you sleep and make that sleep rejuvenating.
2. Socialise
Go for a walk and a coffee and socialise with other mums. This is a great way to get you out of the house, while getting fitter and spending time talking with mums going through the same stuff as you. Socialise with your antenatal group, or if you don’t have one, stick up a flyer at your local Plunket or Playcentre to see if you can join one. Or maybe just start chatting with a mum you see at Playcentre or crèche and you’re away…
3. Food
Nourish yourself with good clean food for you and your little one and drink plenty of water to keep your fluids up for breastfeeding baby. Don’t go long periods without eating.
4. Rest
You just spent nine months creating a new life, and giving birth, and now you are probably not getting much sleep. Rest. My advice to you is rest, take a ½ hour nap, put your feet up to feed baby and enjoy that precious time. Look after you!
5. Exercise For A Happier You
Exercise is proven to have great effects on the way you feel and can help with any “blues” you might be feeling, as it activates endorphin production. A happy Mum means a happy baby and a happy partner/hubby. Even a few minutes of exercise will energise and invigorate you. From the first time your baby looks into your eyes, they will start learning by copying you. Let them grow up seeing Mum leading by example and living a happy, healthy, fit life.
Try one of the Postnatal workouts today. Short workouts designed just for you. When these workouts become less challenging, as you get fitter check out the Online Gym and progress to the HIIT Beginner workouts, then the HIIT’s and Strength workouts.
If you have any questions or need help with anything, drop me an email, contact@squareonefitness.tv. I’m happy to help anytime ☺
