Becoming a mother is a wonderful life changing experience. It can leave you running on adrenalin for the first two to three weeks with the excitement and love you feel for the life you’ve created. That, or you are completely overwhelmed and anxious with the responsibility of it all. Sorry, just being honest!
Hitting a brick wall of exhaustion is common around three to fours weeks in if you don’t look after yourself. This can leave you open to becoming run down and developing mastitis if breast feeding. This is caused by exhaustion as well as blocked ducks and nipple infection. New mothers are often not told how to care for themselves after birth. You may not feel like you need to sleep or rest during the day but it’s important you do for an hour or two at least once a day. Go to bed early while baby is still waking at night. A happy Mum makes for a happy baby so looking after yourself means you’ll be giving your baby the best start in life whether breast or bottle feeding.
P.S…Having a nap in the day can have a positive effect on your milk supply especially if having skin on skin time with your baby, as well as recharging you for the next breast feed. Remember to eat well between breast feeds and drink plenty of water. Do check out previous posts on Eating For Breastfeeding.
