For healthier baby, look after yourself
Wholesome motherhood begins with you. As a mother, you are called upon to make many sacrifices but not to sacrifice who you are. Doing so will cost you and your baby. To be the best mother you can be, it is essential to take care of yourself.
Days seem to be running into each other soon after you bring your baby home. It is amazing just how much the little one demands from you. It is very easy to let moments overlap without really being aware of the present; you sort of become a robot while feeding, changing and putting the lad to sleep. The more you give into this feeling, the more you find yourself being sucked into a life where things seem to happen to you rather than you making them happen.
If you find yourself in this situation, it is time to get a grip of the reins and steer your life again. I remember watching my sister who had her baby when she was very young. With little knowledge of what caring for a baby entails, she found herself leaning heavily on advice of my mother and that of other people. This was a great gift but also a barrier.
She got to the place where motherhood was happening to her. She was fed and told what she needed to do and she obeyed. As months went by, she realised she was just going through the motions with no clear direction of where she wanted to go.
According to Dr. Miriam Stoppard, author of Complete Baby and Childcare, ‘The physical, emotional and social demands on your life seem to multiply unendingly with the arrival of a new baby. Interrupted nights and hectic days, together with the psychological pressure of taking responsibility for a new person, combine to heap unexpected stresses onto a new mother.’
As motherhood begins for you, it is vital to guard against these stresses. Motherhood does not just happen to us; we have the chance to choose what shape mothering will take for us. Every mother has the opportunity to build wholesome motherhood; taking control of the reins and making time for herself and investing in maintaining her individuality.
This wholesomeness stems from organising yourself. Although you are your baby’s world, it is essential to guard against making your baby your world. Wiki dictionary defines wholesome as promoting good health and wellbeing; promoting moral and mental wellbeing; sound and healthy and promoting virtue or being virtuous.
Promoting good health and wellbeing: Giving birth is a taxing and overwhelming experience. When you get home with your baby, all you want to do is vegetate. You barely have the strength to look beyond your baby’s needs. However, after you have rested from the physical exhaustion, it is essential to slowly begin to get yourself back together again. Map out what your health goals are.
Carefully watch what you eat: A common myth tells us we are to eat for two and so you find new mothers constantly eating. I remember a friend of mine who was constantly drinking something. In the morning, she was welcomed with a flask of porridge and when that was done, she was to consume a flask of tea. Consequently, her weight ballooned. To avoid putting on unwanted weight, eat a balanced diet and take plenty of fluids.
Exercise: There is a myth that you must wait for six months after birth before you exercise. Once you have healed, you are encouraged to begin to engage in light exercises to get your body back in shape. Increased weight gain can lead to further depression and lead to isolation as you protect yourself from others’ words. It will take time to get back to your initial weight but with commitment and a plan, you can achieve the physical gains that you want.
Promoting mental wellbeing: You have been home with the baby for a while. For some of you, it is exclusively as a stay-at-home mum. You find that you are consumed by the baby and it is easy for the baby to take over your life. My mother tells me, ‘Always guard who you are.’ Be careful to keep who you are alive and aware.
Start doing the things you did before the baby came. If you are an avid reader, get a book and start reading. With my first baby, I found that I almost forgot what I used to do before he came. I stopped writing and reading. I lost touch with my friends and did not keep tabs on what was going on out in the world. Soon, I was alone. Take time to call your friends and keep in touch with what is going on in their lives. We lose friends this time because we are self-focused and do not seem to connect with our friends like we used to.
Make time to get away from your baby and enjoy, either alone or with your partner. This time out will rejuvenate you and keep you energised to take care of your baby even better.
Promoting sound mothering: I have a friend who suffered for a while with her baby. She had lost her mother and had nobody to advise her on what to do with her newborn baby child. She did not have the information that was vital to raise a healthy. Consequently, she and her baby suffered. We live in a time where information is available to all who would seek it. You do not have to suffer needlessly. Someone has an answer to what you are going through and it is accessible. Read about motherhood and what to expect as your child grows. There are websites that give you monthly updates on what is going on with your baby at every stage. Wholesome motherhood begins with you. As a mother, you are called upon to make many sacrifices but not to sacrifice who you are. Doing so will cost you and your baby. To be the best mother you can be, it is essential to take care of yourself.
End: BL 44 / 26-27