Raising a baby can be a challenging yet incredibly fulfilling time in your life. Parenting is a never-ending learning experience and unique to each parent. However, while you spend time reading up on the right way to raise your baby and give them all your attention, you often forget to take care of yourself.
Parenting struggles and caregiver burden takes a toll on our mental health and relationships with our families. Too often, parents (new parents specifically) feel guilty about taking time away from their children and significant other. While it’s completely normal to feel this way, choosing to neglect your own wellbeing can end up causing you more stress and potentially disrupt the harmonious relationship between you and your baby. Dismissing your own health, which includes physical and mental wellbeing, can make you more susceptible to caregiver stress.
On top of that, maintaining your own identity after having a baby will give you the energy and mental strength to get through tough times and challenges with a positive attitude. Proper nutrition and rest, daily exercise, and balance between all of life’s responsibilities form a good support basis for you to go through this new phase of your life.
Developing Healthy Sleeping and Eating Habits
As challenging as it might be initially, ensure that you are getting adequate sleep to recharge and have the energy you need to tackle each day! Adults require 7 to 9 hours of sleep to function at their optimal capacity. However, we do know that is easier said than done. This is especially difficult for parents with a newborn who wakes up at irregular hours of the day and night to feed. Alternating schedules between you and your partner is a great way to ensure you get some z’s. If you’re a single parent of a newborn, getting your snooze on will be challenging, but the best approach is to remember to sleep whenever your baby is sleeping!
Also, don’t forget to keep your diet in mind. You are what you eat, and you will need the energy to keep up with your growing baby and take care of them. A healthy diet should include all food groups such as protein, carbs, essential fats, vitamins, and minerals. Ensure that you have at least seven servings of vegetables per day, which should compose 40 to 50 percent of a meal. Protein should make up 30 percent of the meal and can include lean poultry, fish, eggs, beans, and lentils.
Maintaining an Active Lifestyle
Adults need 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week, or about 30 minutes a day. If you don’t have the time or funds to pay for a monthly membership, there are many alternatives to working out at a cheaper cost. Taking a brisk walk with your baby in the stroller is a great way to get fresh air and exercise. Installing home gym equipment can also be a great convenience if you have additional budget to spend and the room to store workout equipment. Machines like a treadmill, bicycle, elliptical, or weights are easy to use at your convenience. You can even use everyday household objects as substitutes for weights, like canned foods or a case of water.
You and Your Mental Health
Taking care of your mental health is just as important as taking care of your body. Your long-term happiness depends on what you do now to take care of your mental health. It’s easy to lose contact with friends after having a baby. You might not even remember to participate in the hobbies you once enjoyed. But taking time for yourself is just as important as taking care of your baby. It can be something as simple as taking 30 minutes out of your day to focus on your breathing, meditating, listening to some tunes, or clearing your mind of the daily stresses before you partake in the next task. It’s also important to find an outlet to channel your emotions and express your feelings through art, exercise, writing, journaling, or any other activity that helps you organize your thoughts and priorities.
As new parents, it’s especially important to have social interactions and maintain connections with friends and family. Too often, taking care of a new baby involves so much time that connecting with friends is the last thing on your mind. However, finding a community of new parents is a great way to stay connected and is a healthy way of building a social circle.
Being a parent can be extremely rewarding and fulfilling but can also come with many obstacles. When taking on the responsibility of becoming a parent, ensure that you allocate time for your mental and physical health. It’s not selfish to take time for yourself. It can be rejuvenating to participate in hobbies to get the energy and right mindset that you need when interacting with your baby and family members. Keep doing the things you love! Just because you’re a new parent doesn’t mean you need to forget about your own identity. And trust that you are never alone. Be sure to follow us on social media to stay connected with other new parents and have unlimited access to resources to answer your most pressing parenting questions.
- Mayo Clinic: Adult Health
- Mayo Clinic: Nutrition and Healthy Eating
- HealthyFamiliesBC: Physical Activity Advice for New Moms
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: How Much Physical Activity Do Adults Need?
- Anxiety Canada: Tool 1 – The Importance of Self-Care (New Moms)
- Pew Research Center: Parents’ Time with Kids More Rewarding Than Paid Work-and More Exhausting
- Heart and Stroke Foundation: Vegetable & Fruit Consumption and Heart Disease and Stroke
Back
