One of the most annoying things about being pregnant is the flood of unsolicited advice you get from everyone you meet, even strangers seeing you for the first time. It will not take long before you wish you had the nerve to wear a t-shirt that said “Keep your bleeping advice to yourself!” Instead, you stop as if you had time, nod as if you cared, and grinned because that is the only way to bear it. Don’t worry, it is not just you. Every pregnant woman goes through it. That’s just life.
The problem is, sometimes, they’re right. Good advice can come from the most unwelcome sources. If you tune out all incoming advice, you might miss out on the one piece of advice that will make all the difference. No doubt, you got some excellent advice while you were pregnant. After all, everyone has the baby’s best interests at heart. But what about your interests after the baby is born? What about that advice? Post-pregnancy, you will still be getting advice about raising your newborn. Here is a little advice about your self care that will make a world of difference:
Take Your Supplements
If you are one of the many women deciding to have a baby later in life, you could have some overlap with your late pregnancy and early menopause symptoms. Take note of symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats. This can make motherhood a lot harder if it goes unchecked. Fortunately, you can keep it in check by taking the right supplements. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that all supplements are created equally. They aren’t. So be sure your supplements are prescription-free, hormone-free, and side effects-free.
Even if you don’t have to worry about the early onset of menopause, you still need supplements to promote lactation and keep you energized. Being a mother is a full-time job that leaves you completely drained well before your day is complete. If you are doing other things like working another full-time job, you are going to need the right supplements to keep you going. There is no such thing as a supermom. There are only people doing the best they can in a difficult situation. Motherhood may be beautiful and magical. But it is also really hard. Supplements can help.
Ease into Exercise
Easing back into exercise after having a baby is the right thing to do. Your body has just been through some serious trauma that lasted for nine months getting increasingly worse as it went. Give your body a little break and don’t worry about weight gain. That is natural and healthy. You don’t have to rush to get back into that pre-pregnancy two-piece. There is absolutely no hurry.
Before you take out a membership to the local gym, try starting with the beginner exercises. It is weird how challenging those can be after a stretch. You were, no doubt, doing exercises during the pregnancy. But your activity level and range of motion was different. You can’t just assume you are ready for the advanced stuff you were used to beforehand. If you don’t ease into it slowly, you might do some minor damage that you can’t afford as a new mother. So take it one step at a time and slowly work your way up.
Learn How to Forgive Yourself
It is vitally important that you learn how to forgive yourself because as a new mother, you are going to make a lot of mistakes. Most of those mistakes will be inconsequential and have no lasting effects. The mistakes you make with your new baby will mostly affect you. If you are not careful, you will drive yourself crazy over not being the perfect mom. Relax! There is no such thing. Keep your pediatrician and your mother on speed dial and you will be just fine.
You really don’t need all the advice you can get because you will definitely get a lot of advice you don’t need. But perk up when someone suggests you start taking the right supplements, ease into exercise, and be good to yourself. Both you and your baby will be better off for it.
