Taking Care of YOU While You Take Care of Baby
Your Full Postpartum Self-Care Guide
From the moment you meet your baby for the very first time, your entire world changes forever. Now it’s about their needs, their cries, their tiny little fingers wrapped around yours (omg, so cute!)
And while your heart expands in ways you never imagined possible, you may find that your own needs start taking a backseat. I mean, how could it not when your entire focus is now on this adorable, tiny human?
At Soultality Psychotherapy here in Boston, MA, we love working with new mamas and helping them navigate, also prioritizing themselves in postpartum. Having a new baby is SO exciting, but we also believe that you deserve to feel just as cared for as your little one.
If you’re a new momma looking for positive ways to navigate through new motherhood and postpartum, this one is for you!
De-Influencing What Self-Care Looks Like Postpartum
Before diving into tips and tricks for self-care in postpartum, first, we feel it’s important to address the elephant in the room: Self-care is like, totally different after you’ve had a baby.
And that’s okay! You did the impossible. You grew a whole human, went through pregnancy, and did the hardest, arguably most TRANSFORMATIVE thing your body has ever done! Now you get to love that baby, cherish that baby, watch them experience all the things life has to offer…
But also, let’s admit that postpartum is a lot. Your entire routine has completely changed, your hormones are all over the place, and you feel rage when somebody tells you, “Just nap when the baby naps!” Because if you did, you would be sleeping while driving, grocery shopping, walking, and doing just about anything!
And for many new moms, it’s not always the exhaustion or feeling spread so thin that makes them feel overwhelmed. It’s the anxiety and wondering if they’re doing enough while also feeling guilty for even considering taking a moment for themselves.
So here’s what postpartum self-care is NOT. It’s not weekends away or spa days every week (though if you can swing it, you go, girl). Self-care in postpartum is often found in smaller, more intentional moments of your day. And if you’re somebody who’s used to really pouring into yourself, this can be a really big adjustment.
From a mental health perspective, prioritizing YOU doesn’t mean you’re prioritizing your baby any less. In fact, making sure you are taken care of is one of the best things you can do for your little one!
Our Top 7 “Little Luxuries” for Postpartum Mommas
Now for the fun stuff! ‘Cause when your world is full of spit-up and sleepless nights, these little things can make a HUGE impact on your mental health.
The Shower Ritual
If there’s one thing we’re very passionate about, it’s this one right here!
In postpartum, your shower is often the only true alone time you get, so let’s make it count. Get yourself a good shampoo. You know the kind! The one that smells EXPENSIVE and makes you feel like a human again. Stock up on the fancy bath scrubs, face products, and shower products that make you feel good. When you take your daily shower, we want it to be a time that you can prioritize taking care of YOU, so let’s make it a luxury experience!
A “Feel Human” Moment Each Day
Part of creating self-care in postpartum is to bring back small parts of your routine that you had before the baby arrived. That can be anything from putting on mascara, getting your morning latte, sitting outside, or calling and catching up with your friends. As professionals, take our word for it that this is a 10/10!
The Silky Button-Up Pajamas
Comfort is queen in postpartum, and honestly, it’s hard to feel put together when your baby requires so much of your time and attention. So getting some good, soft, cute pajama sets (preferably button-up for easy nursing access) makes all the difference. You deserve to feel somewhat put together, even when you're navigating being a new mama!
Boundaries, Boundaries, Boundaries
Yes, boundaries are a form of self-care.
We want you to prioritize YOUR needs, and that comes from setting firm boundaries. Postpartum can come with lots of opinions and random visits, and we find that mommas who say “not right now” to visitors, set limits on unsolicited advice, or ask their partners for specific support feel more in control and empowered. We want you to protect your energy, and many times boundaries (or lack of) can make or break your postpartum experience.
Noise-Cancelling Headphones
A regulated parent handles situations with more thought and less stress, so investing in a good pair of noise-cancelling headphones is perfect for new parents! And no, it’s not to tune out your baby (we know you’d never), but it’s really helpful to soothe yourself WHILE taking care of baby. Listening to a guided meditation or your favorite podcast while rocking your little one to sleep is a great way to keep yourself calm while nurturing your baby.
New Mom Communities
Being a new mom can feel really lonely. So we are FIRM believers in finding new mom groups! It’s a great reason to get out of the house while spending time with people who “get” it. Not many other people can understand postpartum struggles, what’s the best baby carrier on the market, or be able to share bottles and breastfeeding tricks.
Low Impact Movement
Stretching your muscles, taking baby on slow walks outside, and intentional breathing exercises make a world of difference postpartum. Your body has gone through major changes, and taking a couple of moments to stretch and move your body can help you start reconnecting with it postpartum. Plus, if you have some new mom friends from your new mom community (wink wink!), you can trade off watching babies while the other goes to yoga class.
“But how can I make time for myself when I feel so overwhelmed?”
Without speaking to you individually, we can’t give concrete “this will 100% solve your problem” advice, but we can say this:
Postpartum is full of emotions - some expected and some that surprise us. Especially when your days now revolve around feeding schedules, diaper changes, and trying to discover who the new postpartum “you” is, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and like there isn’t enough time for anything else.
So if you take nothing else away from this blog, we really want to hammer this home. Taking care of yourself doesn’t take away from your baby. In fact, it gives both of you more. More patience, more presence, and more moments for you to feel like yourself again.
When you allow yourself the luxury of doing things that make you feel good and giving yourself time, it gives you a mental break. Even the smallest acts of self-care matter, and you deserve to feel supported as much as you support your little one.
And if you’re looking for a space to process everything (the joy, exhaustion, worries that keep you awake), therapy can be a place for you to step back and have someone else take care of you.
Therapy is Self-Care, Too
At Soultality, we LOVE lifting up postpartum mommas. We see you. We hear you. And we’re here to remind you: therapy is self-care, and you deserve that just as much as your baby deserves you at your best.
What is the best thing you can give your baby? A version of you that feels cared for, too.
We specialize in therapy for postpartum mental health issues like postpartum depression, OCD, and anxiety. If you’re looking for support and clarity postpartum, we’d love to chat with you 1:1 to learn how we can be there for YOU. Make the first step by scheduling an appointment today.