You’ve just had your baby, your body is sore, you’re extremely tired and drained both emotionally and physically. All you can think about is caring for the new little beautiful life you’ve bought into the world. However, we must not forget caring for another special person. YOU! Your body has gone through a life-changing experience and still needs to heal from 9 months of pregnancy. I can’t emphasise this enough, caring for you and your body is just as important as caring for your new baby. Be kind to yourself in the postpartum period, this will help the recovery stage and give you more time, patience and strength to care for your child.

The postpartum phase can be different for mums, but one emotion we will all most likely experience is the overwhelming sensation of care and protection for our baby. With so much attention focused on caring for your new little family member begs the question…

Here are some of my top tips I found that helped me after having my two girls. Add these tips into a selfcare checklist as part of a routine to help you stay calm and content post childbirth.

You need your rest. The last thing you should be doing is constantly getting in and out of bed to open the door to endless friends and family members. I would give it a good few days before any visitors.

Even if it’s just a quick shower, you’ll always feel better. You become so busy with being a mum that you neglect your own hygiene and will find yourself exhausted and say “I’ve not even had time to take a shower today”. This is a mental block. There is always time, even when it feels impossible. Treat yourself to some luxurious shower gel and focus on some “me” time. Plan out your day and pick a time as to when you can have a shower/bath. This one is a must on your postpartum self care checklist.

Lots of fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Get a solid serving of protein per meal, 20-30 grams worth. When you eat better, you feel better, it’s that simple. Your body needs protein to help recover and rebuild muscle tissue after childbirth. A nutritious postpartum eating plan helps promote milk production and supply your iron stores. See the video for 2 of my go-to postpartum meals I ate throughout my recovery. Watch the video to see 2 of my staple meals I ate throughout my own recovery.

Don’t give the standard response of “Don’t be silly, I’m fine!” There’s no shame in accepting help from loved ones. Even if they are not doing things exactly as you would. Mums, especially new mums will go through periods of anxiety and worry at the fear of something happening to their baby. These feelings are then further amplified while expericing reduced sleep from a new baby. Accept help from your partner, friends and family, take time to reset and recharge. 

Your social media timeline may be covered with celebs showing off their postpartum bodies and you question why your body hasn’t magically snapped back into shape like theirs. It’s completely normal to become frustrated with your body post childbirth, especially when comparing it with unrealistic, photoshopped, airbrushed celebs you see on Instagram. Focus on you and be realistic with your goals. Your body has gone through major changes over the past 9 months. Getting back to your pre-pregnant body takes its time, a long time. You should lose some weight naturally within the first 6-8 weeks postpartum. It’s then totally normal to have an extra 15lbs or so to lose in the following months of recovery. I also find it helps to not go on social media so much and try a little instagram detox if you find yourself constantly comparing to others. You and your baby are the only people to focus on right now.

A 9 week workout plan can help you recover gently when you feel ready. This allows you to awaken the body before moving forward onto restoring some strength and cardiovascular fitness. You can then add more intensity towards the end of the 9 weeks. Your core went through an awful lot when you were pregnant and then gave birth. Core strengthening has so many benefits for postnatal mums.

If you had a fairly straightforward birthing experience, you can start any form of gentle exercise when you feel ready to do so. This can include walking, gentle stretches, pelvic floor and core exercises, meditation and breathing. If you’re looking to add any form of high-impact exercise (running, weights, aerobics etc), then I would make this a part of your postpartum self care checklist after your 6-week postnatal check.

A postnatal workout plan can help with posture, breathing, aid with daily tasks like lifting heavy prams and car seats. A lot of workout plans are baby friendly so you can perform exercises with baby by your side. You can try the Mother Fit postnatal programs to ensure you exercise safely throughout your postpartum recovery. Meditation, stretching, breathing relaxation exercises and nutrition are all part of the program and can help with the recovery of both your physical and mental wellbeing.

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I would advise to start with short walks and then build up the duration. This can help greatly with your postpartum recovery. Focus on your breathing, listen to nature and clear your mind. Walking has so many benefits including reducing stress, anxiety, and health issues. Walking can also be used as a great starting point to test yourself when wanting to get back into physical activity with very little risk of injury, you can always walk with your new little one which they love. You can always throw on a podcast, audiobook or some guided audio meditation to help you relax.

The above tips should all be part of an overall routine to help with your recovery, either daily or when you can.

Use the following list as a guide to promise yourself that you will make time to complete the points as part of a daily routine.

I hope the tips above can help you with your postpartum recovery. Implement them into a postpartum self care checklist to aid your overall wellbeing. Mother Fit Live has a team of experts, to guide you through the early days after your baby is born. I’m also here to keep you safe in exercise and advise you on nutrition. Let me give you what I never had with my pregnancies.