Carrying a baby and giving birth are two of the most physically demanding things that your body will ever go through. Pregnancy and childbirth aren’t a walk in the park, but when you see that little miracle that you’ve created, all that pain and discomfort instantly feel worth it. There’s a lot of advice about recovering from pregnancy and childbirth, but what about beyond recovery? What a lot of new parents fail to think about is taking care of themselves post-recovery.
So bearing that in mind, below are some tips and pieces of advice for taking care of yourself after you’ve recovered from giving birth.
Eat well and exercise regularly
Motherhood is no easy task, which is why you will need all of the energy that you can get. To ensure that you are getting plenty of energy and are able to function properly, it is important to make a conscious effort to eat well and exercise regularly. This means sticking to a clean diet wherever possible and aiming to get at least three hours of exercise a week. Whether that’s walking, practising yoga, or cycling, it doesn’t matter, all that matters is that you are making time to do plenty of exercise and staying healthy.
Get your eyes tested
Pregnancy does weird things to your body and can have an impact on areas that you wouldn’t even think about, such as your eyes. While some women report that their vision improves during pregnancy, others report that it gets worse. Sometimes these changes are temporary and other times they are more permanent. That is why optometrists recommend getting your eyes tested after you have given birth, to make sure that everything is as it should be. If you wear glasses, the last thing that you want is to be wearing ones that are too weak or too strong, so getting your eyes checked is important.
Visit your dentist
Along with all the other joys of pregnancy, such as needing to use the bathroom more and feeling sick constantly, dental problems can be another issue. The fact is that when you are pregnant your teeth become more prone to decay, which means that it is important to get your teeth checked during and after pregnancy so that any problems can be caught early and dealt with before they get worse.
Take care of your mental health
An important part of taking care of your health post-birth is making sure that your wellness is taken care of. The fact is that life as a new mum can be stressful, which is why it is so important to take care of your mental health and wellness. Stress is the most important factor to beat, as stress can have all sorts of consequences on your health. However, the good news is that simple lifestyle factors can help to reduce the stress that you are feeling and make your life easier. Things like taking time out to socialise, practising yoga, or having a relaxing bubble bath, can be all it takes to help reduce your stress levels and make parenthood easier to cope with.
There you have it, everything that you need to know about taking care of your health post birth.