GO BUY SOME SHOES!!! (The Importance Of Taking Care Of Yourself After Baby)
It happens in a flash. You give birth to this amazing, little human and all of a sudden your world has been changed. You no longer live for you, your main purpose in life from here on out is to take care of your new addition.
Most of the new mothers I have had the pleasure of getting to know through this past year have all dealt with this new transition. This constant need to prove to themselves and to others that they are selfless and care only for their child. While this need is true, it's tough to remember yourself. Sure you wish you could get in that shower once a day or had time to sleep long enough to feel rested, but then you feel that mommy guilt and turn all your attention and focus on your baby and forget about you and your needs.
I was the same way. The first year of my son's life was all about him. Everything I did, bought, thought of, took care of, was for him. I was last on my priority list and I stayed there for a long time. Then, something really frickin' weird happened...I lost my toenails.
Yup, that's right. Both of my big toe nails fell off. Want to know how? Of course you do, because I was wondering myself why after 28 years my nails jumped ship. Well, it's simple...my shoes were too small. Now what does this have to do with taking care of myself? I'll explain. After I gave birth, my feet grew. I thought this was an old wives tale until it actually happened to me. I wore flip flops for most of my pregnancy, so when it was time to get back to work and wearing shoes again, I did realize they were kinda snug. Ok, they were very snug. But instead of taking care of myself by taking time to go look for some new shoes for my new clown feet, I lived with the problem. This is not to say that I didn't go shopping...I shopped a lot. I bought tons of things for my baby for months. In fact I think my son could have worn a new outfit every single day for his first 9 months of life due to all that time I took to go shopping for him. Meanwhile, my toe nails were begging me for bigger shoes and I ignored them, so they gave me their final "F U" and left. That's when I realized...I should take better care of myself.
This goes for eating right, working out, resting or making sure you get what you need for YOURSELF. You cannot feel guilty for needing to take the time to take care of yourself or worrying about what others will think of you if you do. Going to the gym for an hour a day and leaving your baby with their father or grandmother or a sitter does not make you a bad mother, it actually makes you a sane mother! Whether you are a stay at home mother or a working mother, some time for yourself here or there is not going to do any harm to you child. Money spent on things for yourself is not taking away from your child. In fact, they may thrive from your new, refreshed attitude and spirit. How awesome do you feel when you shower and get yourself ready? You feel like a whole new woman! If you are happy, your attitude will reflect that feeling and your baby will appreciate that so much more than if you are sad or miserable or unhealthy.
So, don't live with the pain of losing toe nails...which grew back by the way. :) Go out and buy yourself a pair of shoes!
Most of the new mothers I have had the pleasure of getting to know through this past year have all dealt with this new transition. This constant need to prove to themselves and to others that they are selfless and care only for their child. While this need is true, it's tough to remember yourself. Sure you wish you could get in that shower once a day or had time to sleep long enough to feel rested, but then you feel that mommy guilt and turn all your attention and focus on your baby and forget about you and your needs.
I was the same way. The first year of my son's life was all about him. Everything I did, bought, thought of, took care of, was for him. I was last on my priority list and I stayed there for a long time. Then, something really frickin' weird happened...I lost my toenails.
Yup, that's right. Both of my big toe nails fell off. Want to know how? Of course you do, because I was wondering myself why after 28 years my nails jumped ship. Well, it's simple...my shoes were too small. Now what does this have to do with taking care of myself? I'll explain. After I gave birth, my feet grew. I thought this was an old wives tale until it actually happened to me. I wore flip flops for most of my pregnancy, so when it was time to get back to work and wearing shoes again, I did realize they were kinda snug. Ok, they were very snug. But instead of taking care of myself by taking time to go look for some new shoes for my new clown feet, I lived with the problem. This is not to say that I didn't go shopping...I shopped a lot. I bought tons of things for my baby for months. In fact I think my son could have worn a new outfit every single day for his first 9 months of life due to all that time I took to go shopping for him. Meanwhile, my toe nails were begging me for bigger shoes and I ignored them, so they gave me their final "F U" and left. That's when I realized...I should take better care of myself.
This goes for eating right, working out, resting or making sure you get what you need for YOURSELF. You cannot feel guilty for needing to take the time to take care of yourself or worrying about what others will think of you if you do. Going to the gym for an hour a day and leaving your baby with their father or grandmother or a sitter does not make you a bad mother, it actually makes you a sane mother! Whether you are a stay at home mother or a working mother, some time for yourself here or there is not going to do any harm to you child. Money spent on things for yourself is not taking away from your child. In fact, they may thrive from your new, refreshed attitude and spirit. How awesome do you feel when you shower and get yourself ready? You feel like a whole new woman! If you are happy, your attitude will reflect that feeling and your baby will appreciate that so much more than if you are sad or miserable or unhealthy.
So, don't live with the pain of losing toe nails...which grew back by the way. :) Go out and buy yourself a pair of shoes!
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