Bearing and birthing children is no doubt a wonderful thing. Delivering new life to our world, our precious bundle of blankets is quite the mix of emotions.
In many ways, we are expected to be happy at such a moving time of our life. But, aside from the feelings of happiness and love, we are often awash with self-doubt, uncertainty and worry as our lives are rocked by this little thing called pregnancy, birth, and motherhood.
Learning to love ourselves and our bodies postpartum is quite a significant thing to do after nine months of someone else moving in and redecorating. Here are a few ways to love yourself after childbirth.
Discover What Helps You
Recognise the expectations put on you as a new mum. We live in a crazy media-centred world that exploits our insecurities and anxieties. These external expectations are not normal, and we really need to sidestep them so we can balance our true needs while recovering from birth. Each of us is unique in what we need, so avoid comparison. You are doing a great job, but this is not all on you. Remember to ask for help if needed.
Self-Love Is Needed
Be practical and realistic about what you can and want to achieve. Remember, pregnancy places quite a significant trial on our bodies and minds. It can be somewhat a challenge! Loving ourselves postpartum cannot be met with a smaller jeans size, a full face of makeup, or a new hairdo. Self-love and compassion comes from being kind to ourselves, recognising our achievements, being gratuitous, and taking it slow.
Don't Rush Your Recovery
Motherhood. Is. Exhausting. During postpartum, we often don’t recognise our bodies let alone our personalities. We’re exhausted and overwhelmed. Life has suddenly become very, very intense! Give yourself time to adjust to this new period of your life. You do not need to look for change right now. Everything can happen at a later time as you focus on life with a new baby.
Listen To Your Body
Embrace everything about you - every change, every thought. With childbirth, you have gone through a momentous undertaking inside and out. Your body grew and birthed an actual human being. You and your body are pretty incredible to have gone through all of that. Make no mistakes, this is huge and needs a massive amount of praise. Embrace your body and applaud it for naturally and beautifully giving birth. Embrace your mind and listen to your thoughts. You are incredibly worthy, loved, and needed.
This Is Just The Beginning
Learning to love ourselves takes time. Be patient. It won’t happen overnight but is rather a continual journey as we learn about ourselves, love ourselves, and grow into motherhood.
