On making time for yourself as a new mum
How do you find time for yourself as a new mum? This is surely the million dollar question. I’m not talking about going on a luxurious spa break or weekend yoga retreat, or even that tired advertising cliche of busy mums and ‘me time.’ I’m just talking about taking a few snatched seconds to sit down and catch your breath from the new baby whirlwind, when everything is magical, overwhelming, relentless and exhilarating.
Tiny, sleepy Eliza at one month old.
I was asked to come up with my tips for new mums to help you carve out a few minutes for yourself in the crazy yet amazing early baby days. So here’s some ideas for making time for yourself as a new mum:
- Don’t waste your time on the boring domestic tasks. Find a cleaner, accept all offers of help and food, buy lovely stuff in to eat from places like Cook
- Get someone to look after the baby for 40 minutes while you shower, do your hair properly and paint your nails. It seems trivial, but it’ll make you feel a lot better (and most importantly, more like yourself)
- If you’re breastfeeding, or lying on the soda under a sleeping baby, use the time to watch TV, chat to other new mums on Twitter or catch-up on blogs and Facebook
- Do a big online shop so you don’t have to bother with the supermarket. Although going out to buy milk is a good to have a reason to leave the house
- And on that note, go for a walk every day, even if it’s just a hobble round the streets then home. Fresh air has magical powers and it will give you a tiny bit of headspace out of the house
How do you find time for yourself as a new mum?
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