[box type=”blank” class=”border-dashed2″] Today we have a visitor from Australia where, as many of you know, I am practically Oprah. Emily is a writer and a Mom who has offered to share some great suggestions on how to not let being a new mom turn you into a bloated, exhausted, zombie-like mess. Welcome Emily!
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You thought life was hectic before you had a baby! Now you have your little bundle of joy in your arms and you want to enjoy them but you also want to get a good night sleep and feel human again, and not like the milk machine zombie you’ve become!

However it is important to remember that you can’t keep your family happy and healthy if you’re not happy and healthy yourself.

Easy Ways To Not Be a Zombie

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• Make healthier choices. When looking for a quick snack, try a banana or apple instead of chocolate or chips. Fruit is quick and easy and doesn’t carry all those empty calories; it will also give you the same amount of energy without the sugar crash. Did you know that an apple will help to wake you up in the morning far more effectively than a cup of coffee?
• Fit some exercise into your daily routine. Try simple things like, doing squats rather than bending over when hanging washing on the line or picking up toys, tense and relax stomach and pelvic floor muscles when standing at the sink or bench, you can also do this with calf muscles whilst sitting in front of the TV or computer. Take baby and go for a walk. You can easily do this at babies nap time or before baby’s bed time as part of the sleep routine if you can’t find time at any other point in the day.
• Take a good quality multivitamin. Unless you eat a very wide variety of foods, chances are you are deficient in some vitamin or mineral. Breastfeeding puts a lot more demand on our body and requires higher levels of many vitamins or minerals. Busy workloads and lack of sleep, too much caffeine and alcohol and some prescription drugs also depletes nutritional stores.
• Have a screen free day at least once a week. Instead of staring at the computer or television at the end of a busy and draining day, why not talk about your day, play a board game, or even better, get out of the house and go for a walk or have a picnic dinner. Staring at the blue light spectrum emitted by televisions and computer screens over stimulates the brain and can lead to insomnia and exhaustion so do yourself and your brain a favor and turn off the screens regularly.
• Go to bed early. If you find you have so much to do in the evenings that it’s impossible to get to bed early, try some of these tips: Get some (healthy) takeaway to save the time spent cooking. Skip TV for a night. Don’t answer the phone. Take a relaxing bath. Try putting fresh crisp sheets on the bed, burn some relaxing essential oils like lavender (but remember to blow out the candle before you go to sleep!) and put on some tranquil music or sounds (rain forest sounds are my favorite.)
• Try not to take on too much. If you’re already raising a family, juggling work, and have a hobby or two you like to indulge in on the weekend, then maybe you can’t extend yourself to do a charity drive. That’s ok. When it comes down to it, you have to look after yourself.
• Don’t be afraid to outsource. House cleaning, dog walking, car washing, etc. can all be done by other people for a while.

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Take deep breaths. It sounds simple and it is. Letting oxygen into your body, slowing your breathing and consequently heart rate and allowing tensing muscles to relax can do wonders for your stress levels. A great quote I once read…Don’t sweat the small stuff, and remember, it’s all small stuff.

[box type=”blank” class=”border-dashed2″] Spending a lot of time at home with her two young children and often being stuck to the computer with a sleeping baby in her arms, Emily Farthing found it a perfect opportunity to hone in on her love of writing and pursue a career in copy writing. As her children grow, so does her passion for writing. She now works at Explainafide as their in house copy writer, editor and proof reader. Emily’s sense of humor and life experience shows in her writing style and makes for a fresh and honest viewpoint.
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Anybody else have any ideas on how to keep it together with a new baby?

{Photo credit: Catherine Scott}