Navigating Postpartum Life

40 weeks. Thats what it takes. For 9 months, your body is slowly changing. Your hormones change and increase, your body slowly expands, you prepare yourself for what is to come once your little angel is here.

But what happens next? What happens once the life that grew inside of you, the life that requires all those extra hormones and space is now a breathing being outside in the real world?

Your hormones plummet, your body is left stretched to no end, and you have this new life who may not be growing inside of you, but is very much attached to your outside being.

So it’s no wonder things get a little tough … okay a lot tough. Over the last 7 weeks, I’ve had to navigate and figure out what works and what doesn’t. It’s all trial and error, but these are a few things that work for me.

• Set a schedule. You won’t follow it and that’s okay. But giving yourself some sort of guideline to, well, everything may feel like you have your shit together. Whether it’s a shower schedule, a cleaning schedule, or a coffee date with your friends scheduled every week. Consistency is key in this. Finish this before you finish that, no matter if it’s tomorrow or next week.
• Talk. Call your mom, call your friends, call your spouse in the middle of the day if you need to. Talk your feelings out, because if you don’t… they’ll blow up when you’re at your breaking point.
• Be active. Whether it’s walking to the end of the road or even just to the mail box. Get up & move. You already feel like a potato, at least be a potato on the move. I promise, you’ll feel a little better.
• Stop giving into your cravings. 80% at least. You’re pregnant, no one cares if you ate that pint of ice cream. Well, honestly, pregnancy sucks so do what it takes to feel better. But now, if you eat that, you’re most likely going to feel like shit but you have a baby to take care of. And your moods are swinging, so you might beat yourself up. Split that pint into 2 days, you might feel better *wink wink*.
• Give yourself time. This can go two ways: give yourself time to breathe & give yourself time to feel normal again. Mama can’t pour from an empty cup. So let dad take the baby for 30 minutes while you take a shower and unwind. Breathe. The world won’t end because you took care of yourself. And remember, it took 9 months to grow that baby, your body needs time to heal. Don’t rush it, it’s a beautiful process.
• Embrace it. There’s aren’t many times in your life that you’ll be able to cart around a new little nugget (unless you’re a Dugger). This time only lasts so long, then they’re grown and talking back. The dishes can wait, no one cares if you smell, your baby won’t remember this but you will. And no one will ever be able to take this time away from you. You are now a mom.

So now go snuggle that baby of yours, no matter how old. Or just enjoy the babes around you.