When a new baby comes along, life is akin to a tornado. You get whisked up into a continuous whirl of motion. Feeding, changing, bathing, swaddling, etc. At best, the driving force is love but in a more real sense the motivation for these actions is survival. The sleep deprivation is a stunningly brutal shock to the system. Even if you are blessed with a good sleeper, living life in continuous zombie-esque two/three hour blocks is grueling. For the new mom there is little to no rest but there is also no questioning it. We carry on and we get it done all while being flooded by an overwhelming wave of love. And postpartum hormones, aren’t those fun?
This post is sponsored by PinkBlush, all opinions are my own
I wouldn’t call it resentment but I definitely experienced a negative feeling during the first few weeks with my newborn that I couldn’t shake. It was a craving for some time alone. Not for a day or even a night. I just wanted my personal space back and do something without another little human stuck to me. I wanted to shower for longer than five minutes. I wanted to dry my hair with a hair dryer. I wanted to paint my nails or put on some make-up. I felt like a troll. PJs and top knots were my new look. I like my style and this was definitely a ‘style’ I wasn’t used to.
The greater the feeling of loss (of myself) became, the weaker I became physically and mentally. If my energy and my complete sense of self was depleted, how could I have enough of myself to give to others? You cannot pour from an empty cup. To fill said cup you must take some time to love yourself. That’s where the infamous ‘mom guilt’ kicks in. You’ve got to ignore that nagging little voice. You are enough, you are doing enough, you deserve peace. I must admit I still struggle with this concept almost two years later.
‘Mother’ is such a broad term. In and outside of the home you are a care-giver, educator, counselor, nurse, cleaner, chef, personal shopper and the list goes on. All of this, at the expense of yourself. Think of the pre-children days. What did you do to restore your energy then? Taking a moment for yourself, asking for help when you need it and slowing down to recognize that your low batteries need charging is SO important for your mental health! I urge you to get out and spend some time with yourself.
Applying make-up, putting on my favorite hat and wearing an outfit that makes me feel like my pre-baby self gives me such a boost! It’s one of the small things I do at least twice a week to feel like me. This gorgeous, cozy draped front cardigan from Pink Blush is making all of my Fall wardrobe dreams come true. You can take all the bikinis and sun dresses away, sweater weather will always be my favorite. I don’t know about you but I always thought PinkBlush only sold maternity clothes but man, they’ve stepped up their game. They now offer women’s clothing, women’s plus and even baby & kids! For even more cozy Fall/Winter options check out their other sweaters.
Funny story: While editing these images, I realized that this day was the first day since my daughter was born that I didn’t take her photo. Not a single one! It was a revelation to go through more than twenty photos of myself and find her nowhere in sight. While she will always be my favorite accessory, I had fun just being me!
Alone 😉
