35 Weeks pregnant with Edith and self care routine in place.
I have always loved makeover shows especially What Not To Wear. I would sit there and think oh how I would love to do that but at the same time how embarrassing it would be to actually be picked for the show. I promised myself that I would never get myself to a point where my friends and family or random people would see me on the street and say that lady needs to go on a makeover show. However after becoming a mother I feel like that is exactly what I need.
As a mother I have really fallen into the stereotype of that women who puts her family first and herself last the majority of the time. Until recently I hadn’t put any effort into my clothes, my hair, my skincare, make up or anything. The only thing I have been doing for myself, and even with this I slack at times, is getting in my workouts and attempting to eat healthfully.
8 months postpartum and …yeah.
I would say a big part of this was a result of postpartum body the first time around (you can read about that here). It is really a challenge to wrap your head around a postpartum body because it’s so foreign and such a huge shock. I mean as women we spend nine months growing a human being and then all of a sudden the baby Earth side and we are left with this foreign body. We don’t know how to dress this new body and on top of that we are dealing with swollen, leaky boobs, a baby who needs our attention, a lack of sleep and basically we are trying to figure out how to navigate our new life.
I wore maternity clothes until I was basically a year postpartum and even then I only bought clothes that were as cheap as I could find and then when I was ready to actually invest in new clothes I found myself back in maternity ones. I rarely took a shower that was longer than 10 minutes. I had no skincare routine and makeup ….what’s that? Oh and hair? I have had my haircut a total of three times in the past two years. I basically did nothing that made me feel good. I spent my days in yoga pants, sans make up (not that I think you need make up to feel/look good), I couldn’t even be bothered to wash my face and doing anything more than throwing my hair up in a pony tail was considered fancy. Basically I didn’t do anything to make me feel mentally or physically beautiful. Until now.
I’ll end this post here and next week I’ll return with the now.
What does self care mean to you?
For mamas or anyone who has experienced big changes in body image or even just lifestyle how have you focused on your self care? What challenges have you faced and how have your/are you working to over come them?
Oh no! Not Yoga Pants!! 🙂
i know so many new moms struggle with this issue! we become so wrapped up in the day to day tasks of being a mom that it is easy to forget that we are people too. i think it is so important for us to remember that by taking care of ourselves, we are taking care of our families. if we are not functioning well, it has a huge impact on everyone else. being a mom is hard work! we deserve a little self care!!
You are 100% on point. We really do need to take care of ourselves to take care of our family and it hasn’t really been until the past few months that I have actually started to practice this. It is so important.
It is hard to not put yourself last at least that is what I find as well. I have never been much into clothes or make-up so on that point nothing has really changed. However as my kids get older I realize that the importance of having time for myself to just sit quietly and read a book, take a walk…that is my self-care. I am looking forward to your next post.
yes it doesn’t have to be clothes, makeup, skincare but rather just anytime that gives us a little mental break. Time to slow down and remember that we deserve time for ourselves.
I’m not a mommy… But I’d have to say ditto to what Nourished Roots said in her comment.
I don’t think you have to be a parent to not focus on your own needs. I really think that it applies to anyone who doesn’t spend enough time focusing on their own mental and physical needs.
i can’t imagine how difficult this would be! it seems like something that you’d have to be really strong to greet head on and face!
http://www.ladiesinnavy.com
The most challenging thing is getting out of your own way. Seriously I haven’t known for years what I need to do to make me feel like a better person, wife and mom but I just haven’t been putting it into practice.
I don’t have any children, but I do know the experience of self care falling aside to make room and time for everything else on the to do list. It’s something I think a lot of women need to take step back and work on. Start small. Maybe a luxurious shower product that makes you feel extra special even if the shower lasts 5 minutes. The Aussie 3 minute miracle hair mask is great and really inexpensive! You’ll find your balance again.
http://www.divaandthedivine.com
Love this advice! I know as women, kids or not, it happens that we don’t make enough time for ourselves. Thank you for sharing!!