Remember that nursing moms require an extra 500 calories per day or so and your body works best - most productively and most healthfully for you and your baby - when you take in what you need to function. Pair a protein with a fat and carb, eat when hungry, and move with your baby. There's no need to diet, count calories, or decrease your nutrient content. The weight that accumulated through pregnancy will come off in the coming months, particularly when there's a focus on eating real food and moving your body. For excellent information and classes on pelvic floor and lower abdominal health both before, during, and after pregnancy, check out Jennifer Gleeson Blue's classes and workshops.Ĭare for your body by providing it with quality, local, fresh, and organic food when possible. If your abdominal muscles have separated in pregnancy, focus on upright abdominal work, belly binding while doing abdominal exercises, and avoid abdominal work where your feet and head are far from the center of your body. Pay special attention to holding your body in a way that aligns your hips and your feet to evenly distribute your weight without tucking in the pelvis. Strengthening your core muscles will work wonders in helping to prevent the common backache that occurs from breastfeeding, carrying your baby on your hip, pushing a stroller, and doing all things one-handed. Check out infant massage classes, mommy or daddy and me yoga, new parent support groups, breastfeeding groups at places such as Mama's Wellness Joint, Cloth, The Nesting House, Wake Up Yoga, City Sprouts, and more. By having a specific destination and time you must be there, it is far less likely that you will give up and stay in. However, the benefits of sunlight, fresh air, and adult conversation are priceless for the new parent. That alone can be enough to make anyone decide to just stay in. By the time you have everyone ready to go, the baby inevitably needs to eat or has pooped and the whole process starts again. It's no joke that taking a short walk outside can be prefaced with an hour or more of preparation. Make Plans to Get Out with Your Baby at Least Three Days per Week Check out or ask friends, childbirth educators, and birth doulas whom they would recommend. They can be hired for just a few hours per week or a few hours each day and typically cost $20 to $30 per hour. Postpartum doulas provide that reassurance and support to parents that used to be a traditional part of easing the new family into their new life. Whether an expense that is saved for or gifted from family or friends, the services of a postpartum doula do wonders to boost the confidence of new parents while helping with things around the house, basic infant care and feeding, and providing a listening ear. Maybe if we just keep hearing how important napping is, we will finally allow ourselves to do a bit more of it. And it never hurts to ask a family member or friend to come hang out with your little one when you know you need a true rest. If nothing else, closing your eyes for twenty minutes can rejuvenate you enough until nightfall. Sleep when your baby sleeps may not be good enough as we all know babies sleep differently than adults (and often in much smaller chunks). The hormonal shifts and physical demands placed on our bodies in birth and the postpartum require rest in order to stay as balanced as possible. We've all heard it, we've all said it, yet we probably haven't all done it (at least not enough). Here are some things to keep in mind when transitioning in this new parenting space. Rather than spending our precious baby moon stretching ourselves to our limits of sleeplessness and exhaustion and guilting ourselves into making each moment "productive," we can use this time to care for ourselves physically and emotionally, relish in the new bonds and dynamics forming in our families, and reorganizing our priorities to feel in line with the life that we truly want to lead. Too often in our culture we find ourselves attempting to meet outrageous standards of efficiency, weight loss, social engagement, house cleaning, kids activities, the list goes on and on. Whether it is your first baby or your third baby, or your first week or fourth month postpartum, the time following birth offers an unparalleled opportunity to start fresh in caring for and appreciating the incredible abilities of the maternal body.
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