Mom’s have a tendency to put themselves at the bottom of the list when it comes to taking care of her needs, especially when a baby is in the house. Even (or especially!) with a new one in the house, there are certain things that you need to keep on top of. Please tell me I’m not the only one who seems to lose track of time and find that I haven’t bathed in 3 days!
1. Take a shower daily.
Every day, take a shower. Showers are quicker than baths and if you really hurry, you can even get your hair washed in only 5 minutes. If your water takes time to warm up (ours does), run the water and don’t get in until it’s hot. Then jump in and immediately wash your hair, face and body. If you have a few extra minutes, shave!
2. Shaving in 2 minutes or less.
If you have a few extra minutes in the shower, shave. You don’t need a huge chunk of time to do this! I’ve found that I actually stay better trimmed when I remember to do a little everyday. I have been known to shave my armpits one day (or one each day, if necessary), my lower legs (with knees) one day, my knees again (because without glasses I always miss some) with upper legs, and trim elsewhere (ahem) on another day. Divide it any way that makes sense to you.
3. Cut your nails.
I divide this out, too, if necessary. And since baby’s nails need to be cut nearly every day, you can do both at the same time. I like to keep nail clippers near where I feed the baby so that I can cut my own nails while baby is nursing. Once the little one falls asleep, I cut theirs, too. If you cut one hand or foot’s worth of nails for each person every other day, all the nails are cut once a week. I use this method for my girls and I until they are able to cut their own; it’s second nature to me now!
4. Drink copious amounts of water.
If you are in that exhausted, sleep-deprived newborn phase and don’t have the energy to keep up your normal face care routine, drink plenty of water. Making sure you are well hydrated will help keep your skin looking healthy even when you don’t have time to mess with it.
5. Take your vitamins.
Pick a meal where you are normally home and make sure you take your vitamins. If you take probiotics or other nutritional supplements, pick something that you automatically do each day and do that at the same time. If you have several that you take and need a visual reminder, you might invest in a day-of-the-week pill container. I take my vitamins with breakfast, my probiotics at lunch and my calcium at dinner.
6. Exercise.
Even with a newborn, you can do a little exercise. During the first week, it might be as simple as getting off the couch and going up or down stairs when you don’t need to. After you have been cleared for exercise, try the Post-Natal FitDeck. The exercises don’t require equipment and the deck includes illustrations and instructions for 50 different upper, lower and full body exercises. My favorite thing about it is that it’s super easy to steal 5 minutes here and there to do it.
Even with a new baby in the house, it’s essential to take care of yourself. While the idea of fitting in a shower can feel monumental, it IS possible to do these 6 basic things. Set a timer and see for yourself!
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