As the day draws closer, you probably have many fantasies of the name to give your child and the joy to hold this precious gift in your arms. In fact, you may have the fantasies of the best and cute outfits to get for your baby. However, you nearly do not think about how you will feel in the first few weeks after delivery.

A mother needs to take good care of herself to rebuild her strength. You will need plenty of rest, good nutrition, and help during the first few weeks.

Although it's important to care for your baby, you also have to take care of yourself!

1. Prepare meals ahead

When you cook ahead of time, you won’t have to cook when you first return home from post-natal care. As a new mom, it is not quite easy to enter the kitchen every now and then to prepare foods. If you have dozens of frozen dinners in the kitchen plus few other ready-to-eat foods, all you need is to heat up for few minutes. If this doesn’t seem convenient for you, order takeout. The first few weeks are all about survival: do everything you can to make it easier.

2. Eat well

The body of a new mother goes through many changes during pregnancy as well as during childbirth. In fact, the body can sustain some wounds during these periods. Therefore, a new mom needs a healthy diet to in order to promote healing and recovery. During pregnancy, the body stores almost all the essential nutrients for breastfeeding. However, a new mother needs to eat healthy so that they can be active and have enough energy to care for the baby.

3. Take it easy

It doesn’t matter if your floor needs vacuuming or your sitting room is in a mess, you have to take it easy when you first return from the hospital. The best time to sleep is when your baby is sleeping. Avoid doing laundry or cooking when your baby is sleeping. That might be the only opportunity you have to sleep.

4. Ask for help

Don’t be too reluctant to seek and accept help in your first few weeks after birth. If your friends or family offer to take the baby for a walk so can sleep, clean the house or do laundry for you, let them. There is no point trying to be a hero. Let others help you.

5. Give yourself some time

A common mistake that most new mothers make is thinking they can get back to their regular life immediately they give birth. This is not so in reality. You need to take some time off to heal after birth. Take some time off for up to six weeks of postpartum checkup.

6. Rest

In the first few weeks after birth, a new mother should be free from every chore and responsibility except feeding and caring for the baby. A new baby typically wakes every 3 hours and needs to be fed and cared for. This alone can be exhaustive and overwhelming for the mother. The ideal time for a new mother to sleep is when the baby is sleeping. Don’t spend this time doing laundry or cooking.

Bottom line

Take care of yourself! What do I mean by this? Time away from your baby! This goes for every mom regardless of the age of your child.Apart from the joy of welcoming a priceless gift, new moms often suffer some kinds of postpartum disorders like stress and depression. Planning ahead can help you reduce or completely avoid most of these disorders.