Dealing with Postpartum Stress – a few tips.

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Very often, and because it is done every single day the world over, we forget what a huge deal giving birth is. It is monumental, the pinnacle in life-changing matters, the source of infinite contentment, but also a time of great overwhelming anxiety. Kids are beautiful, but kids are also stressful. Very stressful, in case you needed to be told.

The period immediately after giving birth, despite all the physical, mental and emotional preparations you might have gone through, will still be incredibly intense. You have given birth to a human being who would not even hope to see the light of another day if it weren’t for someone else constantly seeing to his needs. Very often that someone else is going to be you and although expectant mothers may look forward to caring for their little one, it can get incredibly lonely and sometimes even sad. It’s hard to believe this but it is true.

Let’s look at a few ways you can ensure you take the best care of yourself you possible can, to avoid falling too deep into postpartum blues.

  1. Do not be afraid to ask for help

Because you will need it. Whether it’s help of a practical kind (“Do you think you could give me a hand with folding clothes? I am exhausted”) to issues arising from taking proper care of a newborn, do not hesitate to ask. No one was born a mother. We’ve all had to grit our teeth and learn and ask for help to get through. There is never, ever any shame in that.

  1. Sleep Well

Yes, sleep may seem like a mythological creature you doubt has ever existed, but it does and you need a lot of it. Even though your partner will need to go to work, make sure they also contribute to shifts. You need your rest to be able to face another day with a needy baby. They can get by with a tired face at work.

  1. And Eat Well

This goes without saying. After labour and all other complications that go with it, you need to restock on all the lost nutrients. If you can get help with this, please do. If you manage to save time on cooking, it will do you a world of good.

  1. Stop feeling guilty

In a world where the role of the female as an equally valued member in all aspects of society has made leaps, we are somehow still made to feel guilty if we are not giving our heart, mind, body and soul to our children and family.  We believe we’re not giving enough unless we feel like we’ve been trampled by a frenzied herd of elephants by the end of the day. It does not have to be like that. You do not have to feel like you’re sacrificing everything to show the world you’re a good mother.

  1. Embrace the changes

The good, the bad and the ugly. The physical, the mental and the emotional. This roller coaster ride you’re going through will leave you feeling like a queen one second, and like a worthless hag the next. Embrace it and learn to accept that change is synonymous to motherhood, that you must listen to yourself and to your body because only you can articulate in some way what you’re going through, what you feel like doing, what would help. Channel your emotions into words so people around you can support you in the best way possible.

Above all perhaps, allow yourself to be imperfect, to make mistakes, to learn, to reach out for help and watch as you grow stronger, day by day. Take pride in that, you Wonder Woman.

Multi-Mam products for breastfeeding mothers are made from natural ingredients and help new mums get through this period by offering relief and prevention for cracked nipples as well as infections. Find them online or in pharmacies around Malta and Gozo.

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