Four Ways To Get Your Confidence Back After Baby

Photo by Daria Shevtsova from Pexels

You know all the usual jokes. It’s the job you get with no interview, and no instruction manual. Parenthood is a roller coaster of emotions and for many new mums, when you finally surface from the all-consuming world of having a newborn, it’s not uncommon to wonder who you actually are anymore. Having a new baby is such an intense situation- and with a little being making such big demands on your body, your mind and your soul, losing your sense of self and confidence is something that many go through. So how do you begin to get it back? It won’t happen overnight but these tips may help you start to rediscover who you are when you’re not being Mummy…

Get Some At-Home Treatments

While dashing off to the salon simply isn’t practical with a newborn baby, you can use the chance to stock up on some at-home pampering. You may not get much time to yourself, but when you do, instead of crashing out in front of some mindless TV, you can carry out little acts of self-care to make yourself feel better. Even something as simple as a bath with a face mask or painting your toenails can make give you a little lift- caring for yourself in simple ways can bring you back to you. There are some great pampering tips here.

Listen to Your Body

Your body has done amazing things bringing a new life into the world, so don’t be ashamed to listen to what it’s trying to tell you and act in it. Don’t let being busy become a reason to stop tuning in. It’s a bad idea to ignore that nagging back pain - book into to see a chiropractor before it develops into something worse. And if you have persistent pelvic pains after baby? These can point to many things, so look at a good source of information such as patient.info to find out more.

Treat Yourself to some New Underwear

It may be a small thing but it’s the foundation of looking good and feeling confident. If your underwear drawer is a mess of fraying elastic and saggy maternity bras, why not treat yourself to a few sets of colourful, cute matching underwear? It’s a small way to reclaim your body and rediscover your flirtier side. Even just investing in some great quality shapewear can make you feel more confident in your clothes while there are extra lumps and bumps. There are lots of options on the market now- the guide at thelingerieaddict.com is a great place to start.

Get Out and Walk Every Day

In the new baby haze, which I like to call a babymoon, also commonly now fondly known as the fourth trimester, days can drift by without you leaving the house. So make it your personal mission to get out into the sunshine and walk at least once a day. Walking has so many physical, spiritual (great for the aura) and mental benefits, and some much-needed fresh air keeps problems in perspective and eases you gently back into physical fitness. It can also be an incredible bonding experience with your baby. Find out more about the benefits of walking in this article. Getting out is of course a great way of meeting people, especially new mums in the exact same position as you.

This is a collaborative post

Getting Your House Baby Ready

Getting the house ready for baby's arrival in the midst of Christmas? I totally get it. Lottie was born nearly two years ago on 25th January 2016. You don't know whether to buy bibs or Christmas Crackers. Whether to get the tree down out of the cot or her brother's old cot. The secret is making space for it all and being prepared.

Whether you’re in the early stages of planning for your pregnancy or looking at the final weeks before you expect to bring a new addition to the family home with you, one of the key issues you need to tackle is getting the house ready. You need to make sure it’s safe and clean for your new baby, and also that you have all the supplies you need both for you and the baby conveniently at hand. This is particularly important given that the midwife expects to land in on top of you for a home visit within a day or two of your being discharged from hospital - if you haven't had a home birth that is. Worrying about the house is the last thing you need so get it sorted whilst you're nesting and delegate delegate delegate.

Today we’ve got a few helpful tips to make sure you’ve got every angle covered when you bring your newborn baby home.

Clean and Clear

It’s important to bring a newborn home to a clean house – on top of that, with a young child in the house, you simply won’t have time for your normal housework routine. Doing a deep clean in advance of your predicted due date will ensure your house is ready, and also with what little housework you have time for in the weeks and months to come will be more valuable: you’ll be returning your home to that pristine state, not fighting back against accumulated years of clutter.

Creating a bit of extra room is always valuable, and never more so when you’re bringing a whole new person into your house. Don't forget you'll also need space for all those visitors that come with having a new baby. When Aaron arrived my Mum moved in with us for NINE WEEKS so you might not just be making room for a Nursery you might just be having to clear out the spare room too. If you are looking for self storage London has plenty of options for you, and this allows you to clear the clutter out of your house and into a secure storage facility, whether it’s something dangerous you don’t want in a house with a new baby, or the relics of an old hobby you have to admit to yourself you won’t have time for until your new baby is a little more independent. Even something as simple as bikes if you live in a flat without a garage or shed.

Food

Another useful thing to do is clear out your fridge. Make sure you have designated baby space – you’ll be storing a lot for them, whether it’s formula or breast milk, and the last thing you want is to mix it up with last night’s leftovers. This also creates space for you to cook and store lots of batch food. Time is going to be at a premium in the next weeks and months, and batch cooking a whole week’s worth of food when you have the opportunity to store and eat when you have less time is a great idea. My Christian friend is studying Theology and whenever one of the students or their spouse has a baby they all take it in turns to drop off a meal for the new parents scheduling it on Meal Train.

Stock Up

Make use of all the space you’ve cleared by stocking up on the essentials: nappies and wet wipes, of course, but also cleaning supplies: paper towels, baby friendly stain removers and detergent. You really can’t have enough of the essentials, so making sure you’re fully stocked up is a great way to feel ready for when you bring your new-born baby home.

When my 1st baby arrived in 2010 I got loads of decorating done in advance as I wanted my bedroom to be a tranquil place as I knew he would be in with us for the 1st few months. I was really happy with what we achieved: Baby Living in a Flat. 2 years ago I was busy tidying for baby Lottie's imminent arrival.

Good luck Mumma you can do it. Great thing about the festive and new baby visitors is you CAN get them to help with stuff. Delegation is key. Just don't give them the baby. Get those snuggles in while you can. Sniff that newborn head. Those heady newborn days don't last long AT ALL...

This post is a collaboration