Self Care as a Mom

I felt the most love and purpose in my life yet most unlike an actual person. Can you relate?

With Ginny calling the shots of when to eat, which was pretty much every 20 minutes (she has her momma’s appetite!), my husband, mom, and sister intervened to try to pull me back to a normal person again. I was getting consumed by my favorite new job of mom, so much so that I wasn’t taking proper emotional, mental, or physical care of myself. In order to be the best mom to Ginny, I had to take care of myself.

The solution

Enter Munchkin LATCH bottles to the rescue (not exaggerating). Clearly Munchkin created this line with my family in mind; Ginny latched on as a newborn with no booby confusion, and while she likes drinking from a cup like a big girl, I still enjoy the convenience of the bottle at times when I’m not interested in her pouring her drink all over the place. It’s great to have a dependable line that works for your little nugget as a newborn, baby, and even toddler.

Milk Martyr No More

When I allowed myself to give up some of the feeding responsibility and to stop being a milk martyr, everything fell into place. I slowly put the Lindsay pieces back together and found where they fit among the Mom pieces of myself. And guess what? They fit beautifully. Soon, I wasn’t getting up to feed Ginny all night – I peacefully slept while my husband was up bottle feeding Ginny. And guess what? There was no breast/bottle confusion, as so many people scared and guilted me about. To this day, anything put in front of that girl, she will eat or drink.

But the nipples are so realistic that Ginny was also comforted by the bottle, not just the boob. Huge mom score for me and incredible appreciation points go out to my husband for always stepping in. With the Munchkin LATCH bottles, my husband also had that special bonding time that I relished through feeding Ginny. Win-win.

Now as a toddler, Ginny can take her drink on-the-go in her sweet ride so momma can catch up on work or get some cleaning done.

Take care of yourself

So moms, I urge you to take care of yourself so you can be the best mom to your baby, and I promise that you can function like a normal human. And you deserve to! Don’t let anyone guilt you into thinking being a mom means complete and utter destruction of yourself through self-sacrifice of your child. Nope, don’t listen to that. We all know moms can be mean girls…

Instead of nursing…

With Munchkin LATCH bottles, you’re not a slave to the boob!

Here are some ways you can enjoy taking care of yourself:

5 minutes:

• File and buff your nails
• Face mask with aromatherapy diffusing in the bathroom (this face mask only takes one minute!)
• Make (and devour) these Healthy Brownie Balls (yup, they only take 5 minutes)
• 5 minute full body stretch sequence
• Put on your favorite jam and do this daily ab workout

20 minutes:

• Take a walk and either enjoy the peace or call your bestie
• Take a long candlelit shower and use a deep conditioning hair mask
• Rest your eyes
• Do a 20-minute workout to boost your energy

1 hour:

• Catch up on your favorite blogs or watch your favorite show (I totally don’t judge you for watching The Real Housewives)
• Take a bath and read your magazines
• Make a TJ run (or wherever you consider your mothership store)
• Put your phone and computer away and read (outside if you can!)

½ day:

• Get your hair done
• Best friend shopping day
• Go to lunch and a movie
• Get a massage – seach for local deals or splurge if you feel like it

Lasting thoughts

Has anyone else ever felt constrained from breastfeeding? How do you practice self care as a mom?