Maternal Self-Care
WHAT is Maternal Self-Care?
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Taking the time out of your role as a mom to care for yourself mentally, physically, and emotionally. This is especially difficult for new moms to do.
HOW is Self-Care, Postpartum Self-Care, & Maternal Self-Care Different?
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They aren't much different from each other since all three calls for you to take care of yourself, however:
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postpartum is recovery and caring for yourself right after birth, and
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​maternal is caring for yourself beyond the postpartum stage as a mom.
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WHY is Maternal Self-Care Important?
Maternal self-care is not a selfish act. In fact, taking care of yourself will help you become a better mother to your child. How? By doing little things that can make you feel refreshed.
While taking care of your kids, you may have overlooked the importance of taking care of yourself.​
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For experienced moms (those with a baby and/or more than one child), can also feel the mental, emotional, physical drain.
3 Reasons Why Maternal Self-Care is Difficult
An article on a study conducted by Barkin and Wisner (2013) asked mothers what keeps them from practicing self-care, or why they don't often practice it. Mothers in the study gave three reasons:
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​Time
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Limited Budget
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Difficulty Accepting Help and Setting Boundaries
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It is difficult to carve out time for yourself and doing so may make you feel guilty, maybe even selfish. But you need to realize that you must also take care of yourself, even if you take 15 minutes to just sit down, close your eyes, and think of nothing.
When you have that extra time... (and you will)
...Get Advice on Feeling "Mom Guilt" (10 to 15 mins.)
It happens to the best of us even when we think we would never feel this way: the mom guilt. Take a moment to read these short articles and see if they can help you with "mom guilt."
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"What to Expect" Article
"The Bump" Article
Excerpt from "7 Ways to Deal with Mom Guilt"
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"Guilt becomes a problem, however, when you spend too much time sweating the small stuff and lose the big-picture perspective (like how adorable your baby is and how it doesn’t matter if you didn’t get all the laundry folded). Unchecked guilt can even be dangerous, leading to unhealthy behaviors and depression."
Excerpt from "How to Deal When the Mom Guilt Comes for You"
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"Mommy and daddy guilt... we've all experienced it. Did you ever ask yourself, "Am I making a big mistake?" or, "Am I forgetting anything important?" How about: "Am I being too hard on my child?", "Will I regret my decisions later?" Yup, we've all been there."
SUGGESTIONS ON ARTICLES OR VIDEOS FOR MOM TO VIEW?
Have articles or videos that you would like to share with other moms to help with self-care?
Let us know so that we can include it in our list!
