The first few weeks after your baby has made his or her grand entrance into your world and your family motivating yourself to do just about anything for yourself may be a real challenge. Simple things such as brushing your hair, changing your pajamas, or putting on makeup tend to get put on the backburner. Instead of letting postpartum get the best of you, you should take charge and get the best of it instead.
The first thing you need to know is that there is no magical pill or solution that is going to determine whether or not you will be affected by postpartum depression. Unfortunately, it is something that just happens to some mothers. You can start by starting your day by taking a shower and changing your clothes. Small things like this are going to make you feel better and they will be appreciated by your partner as well.
Try to accomplish something during the day. As a new mother it can be pretty easy for your entire day to be consumed by your baby. While it is important to make sure you get plenty of sleep.
You also need to make sure that you are doing something other than just caring for the baby. Do the dishes, do the laundry, vacuum the floor. Doing anything around the house is going to make you feel more accomplished and better about how you made it through the day.
Remember to communicate with someone during the first few weeks of your baby’s life. Sometimes mother’s get depressed because they shut the world out and just focus on their baby.
One of the best things you can do for yourself is talking to someone and staying connected with people. The people in your life are also going to be able to help you if they notice something is wrong or that you are depressed.
Consider taking up a hobby. Even if your hobby is something as simple as taking a yoga class or going for a walk around the neighborhood, doing something is important.
Staying active and keeping yourself busy is a great way to prevent yourself from becoming depressed. This is because you will still feel like you are being productive and getting things done even if most of your day is consumed by taking care of your new baby.
Turn off your television. Interestingly enough, television can actually make you more anxious instead of controlling it. This is especially true depending on exactly what it is you are watching. If you need some form of entertainment consider listening to music or reading a book.
If you really want to watch something consider picking a comedy or perhaps a family movie. You want to choose things that are happy and uplifting. You do not want to risk giving yourself the chance to feel sad or down about something. Even if you like a lot of sad music you should avoid it for the first few weeks after you’ve had your baby.