postpartum tips for mamas
after having our second child this decemberr, i really wanted to focus on myself during postpartum time. i was so focused on our new baby when we had our first, and i wanted to make myself more of a priority this time around. especially with having a newborn and a toddler. i’m no expert, and these opinions are just what worked for me. but trying to keep myself accountable with these things massively helped my overall mood and outlook postpartum. we had our first baby in august, so there was an abundance of fresh air, outdoor time and outings. i was worried what being cooped up all winter would do to my mental health and how it would make me feel. taking care of myself and my needs and doing little things to make myself feel good made all the difference in the world!
invest in comfortable, quality lounge wear
when i had indy, i was wearing 10+ year old sweats all day every day. (don’t get me wrong, i love a good old worn in sweatpant.) but being able to change into cute loungewear during the day made me feel “put together” even though i was in sweats.
find a good face regimen
a friend gifted me some great facial lotions and serums and it turned out to be one of my favorite parts of postpartum life. every night before bed i treated myself to a mini facial and it was such a good way to give myself a little pampering for 5 minutes each day.
make the bed
obviously this isn’t feasible every single day, but making the bed in the morning helped shift my mood and it felt better to have a clean bed to crawl into at night (or in the afternoon for taking a nap.)
change into new “daytime” sweats
to go along with finding quality loungewear, i would always change into my “daytime” or nicer sweatpants every morning. it helped me feel like i was ready for the day, even if that only meant moving downstairs to the couch.
shower
i know its always joked about how finding time for a new mom to bathe is incredible difficult. but MAKE IT HAPPEN. i took a shower almost every day postpartum and it helped me so much. even if its just to rinse off for 45 seconds. take the time. i promise it will make you feel brand new.
develop a good 2 minute makeup routine
i really only used concealer during those first couple of months. because, hello dark circles. a toddler and newborn do that to you. but on days that we needed to go to the store or had a ped appointment. i have a really fast, under two minute makeup routine that helps me feel put together and not looking completely like a zombie. and its very easy to do in a pinch!
my daily routine for those first few weeks would look something like - wake up, feed the baby, take a *quick* shower, change sweats, makeup routine, make the bed, go downstairs and eat, feed, change diapers all day long. get ready for bed, wash face routine, feed baby, bed - and repeat!
