Maternal Physical And Mental Self-Care

It’s an essential part of your motherhood journey

Expectant and new moms often put the needs of their babies, families, jobs and household responsibilities before their own. Take a moment to consider when last you put essential aspects of your own health and wellbeing ahead of other important tasks in your day. Constantly putting the needs of others before your own can lead to ill-health, stress and even depression.

Practicing Self Care

Self-care is a term that describes the attention and time we should afford ourselves in all aspects of life, for physical and emotional wellness. Self-care isn’t a luxury or selfish, it’s necessary for you to maintain a balance within yourself. By practising self-care, you ensure that your own needs are met, so you can give to others.

On a physical level, practising self-care is beneficial for your health, helping to prevent burnout, physical and mental exhaustion, which can also lead to illness.  On the emotional side, self-care can boost self-esteem and confidence. For expectant moms, your own self-care could empower you in preparation for labour and birth, or after the birth, as you adapt to your role as a new mom.

Self-care is often understood as taking time for yourself, like watching a movie, or meeting a friend for coffee. While these actions are definitely a part of self-care, there are numerous other aspects of your day-to-day health and wellness that form an intrinsic part of caring for yourself.

Physical Wellbeing

Finding time for self-care can be a challenge for expectant and new moms. Here are some important areas where good self-care can have a positive impact on your physical wellness.

Healthy Diet

Following a healthy, nutritious diet is an easy way to practise daily self-care and has positive and long-term benefits. In pregnancy, it’s essential for the wellbeing and development of your growing baby, and in the postnatal period, for your recovery.

• If you find that you snack on the run due to limited time to prepare meals, add healthy snacks like nuts, seeds, low GI crackers, and fresh and dried fruit and vegetables to your shopping list. Ask your partner or a loved one to handle grocery purchases or order online for delivery.
• Take five minutes in the morning to prepare yourself a snack pack for the day. Chop vegetables and fruit and place other healthy foods into a container and keep it in the fridge. With healthy options readily available, you’ll be less likely to reach for other convenience snacks like crisps or biscuits.
• Eating healthy while breastfeeding isn’t only for your baby’s health, but also for your own. Your body will prioritise the production of healthy breastmilk, so if you aren’t eating a healthy diet, you may not get the right amount of nutrients your own body needs. This can leave you feeling tired and worn out.

Sleep

One of the best self-care gifts you can give yourself, is getting more sleep. Studies show that a lack of sleep over a long period of time can have a serious impact on your health, including an added risk for cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and depression.

• Age-old advice stands when caring for a newborn – sleep when your baby sleeps, rather than use the time to catch up on household chores.
• Ask a friend or relative to babysit and get some sleep (even if it’s in the morning or midday). Have your partner take over night duties and move to another room.
• Practice good sleep hygiene, routines and techniques that help you get a better night’s sleep. Aim to go to bed and wake up around the same time every day. Plan your bed time around your baby’s last feed at night. Avoid caffeine drinks close to bedtime and turn off all electronic devices about an hour before you go to bed.

Personal Hygiene

New moms often struggle to find time to care for their own needs while attending to the baby’s daily care. Personal hygiene is essential for good health, but small self-care practices can also help you feel refreshed and more relaxed.

• With a newborn, finding the time to take a shower can seem like an impossible task. Set a morning or evening routine to concentrate on your own personal hygiene. Choose a time when your partner is home and they can use this time for personal bonding with the baby.
• If you absolutely can’t get to it or don’t have help on hand, put your baby in a carry chair or on a large pillow and take them with you into the bathroom. A five-minute shower will leave you feeling clean and refreshed.
• Don’t neglect the care of your teeth and gums in pregnancy. Look out for our article, Oral Care in Pregnancy, in this month’s e-newsletter.

Exercise

Getting extra exercise in pregnancy can help to prepare your body for labour and delivery. The release of endorphins, or feel-good hormones into the bloodstream during exercise, can help improve your mood. Regular exercise also increases serotonin, another mood-stabling hormone, in the body. Serotonin also boosts energy, and aids digestion and sleep.

• Choose something that you enjoy doing, so you look forward to the activity.
• Not all exercise types are safe in pregnancy. Walking, swimming, stationary bike riding, or antenatal aerobics, yoga and Pilates are considered safe. Speak to your healthcare provider if you are unsure about which exercises are safe.
• After your baby’s birth, once you are cleared by your healthcare provider to start exercising again, find ways to build this into your daily routine. Put your baby in a stroller and take a walk around the neighbourhood.

Postnatal Care

Rest, good nutrition and caring for your vagina after a normal vaginal delivery, or a C-section incision are important aspects of postnatal care. It’s important not to overdo things during this period, and to get rest so your body can heal.

• Follow your healthcare provider’s advice on how to care for an episiotomy, a cut made in the perineum, the muscular area between the vagina and anus, which requires stitches, or a C-section incision.
• Bleeding after a normal vaginal delivery and C-section is normal and you may pass small blood clots. The colour of the lochia, the vaginal discharge you have after your baby’s birth, will change over the next few weeks, from red to pink to orange. Use maternity pads not tampons for lochia after your baby’s birth, to decrease the risk for infection.
• Add a reminder on your phone or a calendar for your six-week check-up with your healthcare provider, to ensure that your body is healing and to raise any concerns or questions with your doctor. Your check-up is as important as your baby’s six-week check-up.

Mental and Emotional Wellbeing

Take quiet time

As your baby settles into a routine with daytime naps, choose a specific naptime (for example, the mid-morning nap) and use this as your special quiet time. You can write in a journal, read a book, meditate or listen to music. Find a place where you are comfortable and let your mind relax without worrying about what is next on your to-do list.

Pursue your own interests

It’s easy to get wrapped up in baby and household chores and time quickly passes, and moms may feel left behind or out of touch. Keep yourself grounded by pursuing hobbies or activities that are meaningful to you. If you are taking a sabbatical from your career (longer than maternity leave), keep in contact with colleagues in your industry and stay abreast of changes and trends. Try something new to challenge yourself and embrace lifelong learning.

Ask for help

If you are struggling to cope with your daily chores, your baby’s care or your own self-care, ask your partner or a friend for assistance. You can also call your midwife on the GEMS Maternity Programme, for advice and support. This benefit is available to you throughout your pregnancy, and after your baby’s birth, while you are registered on the programme. If you have symptoms of postnatal depression (PND), like changes in appetite, feelings of sadness, difficulty sleeping or thoughts of suicide, reach out to your primary healthcare provider for assistance.

While many of the principles of self-care are common for every expectant or new mom, not everyone’s situation is the same. This is where self-care takes on personal expression. Assess your personal needs, then put plans in place to achieve the positive and full-filling life you want to live.

Contact your midwife for support, advice and counselling.

Resources: https://www.verywellfamily.com/; https://www.parents.com/; https://www.self.com/; https://www.hormone.org/;  https://www.perimeterhealthcare.com/; https://www.nhs.uk/; https://www.whattoexpect.com/; https://sleepcouncil.org.uk/; https://www.healthline.com/