Pregnancy and birth are the two most life-changing events a person can experience. Growing a life and welcoming a person you have created into the world can be an incredible experience. But, while becoming a parent is the most wonderful thing in the world, it is crucial to remember your body has undergone an enormous transition. After birth, everyone’s attention is naturally directed at the newborn and how they are doing, which is essential to ensure the baby thrives. However, thinking about your health and wellbeing is also crucial. Carrying a baby for nine months and then delivering it is no mean feat and takes its toll on new mums. So, ensuring you are recovering well is vital.
Process the Birth
While most women have positive experiences of birth, some people experience traumatic births, which can take their toll on their wellbeing, how they bond with their new baby, and their health. If you experienced a difficult birth, processing the experience can take a while. Coping with the after-effects of a traumatic birth can cause some women to develop PTSD, which is more common in people who feel they did not receive adequate care during labour. If you have experienced a difficult delivery, you may find it helpful to discuss how you feel with your loved one or to use the services of a trained counsellor to help you process your feelings. Consulting with Birth Injury Solicitors may also be beneficial, as you might be able to make a compensation claim.
Nourish Your Body
Ensuring you eat a balanced diet after giving birth is essential to help your recovery, but it can be challenging to prepare meals when you have a newborn to look after. So, you might find it helpful to have plenty of healthy snacks at home that you can grab when you are peckish and some easy meals ready to be eaten when you need them.
As well as eating as healthily as possible, it is also crucial to rest whenever you have the opportunity. While there may be five loads of washing that need to be sorted, and the house may feel like a mess, it is still essential to get some rest when you can. Resting gives your body time to recover, so following the age-old advice of sleeping when your baby sleeps is a great idea.
Ease the Pressure
When you bring your little one home from the hospital, you may feel under pressure to be the perfect mum. The first thing to note is that the perfect mum does not exist. Despite what you may see on social media, everyone is just trying to do their best, and some days will be good where everything goes well, and others will be less than perfect, but that is fine too. Relieving yourself of the pressure to be perfect and instead just trying your best will help you feel calmer and make the transition into motherhood a lot easier on your health and mental wellbeing.
Photo by RODNAE Productions: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-woman-resting-on-the-bed-with-her-baby-on-top-6849528/
Author: Mandy Kloppers
Mandy is a qualified therapist who treats depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, trauma, and many other types of mental health issues. She provides online therapy around the world for those needing support and also provides relationship counselling.
