Having children means a big shift in lifestyle, and while you may have thought that you were prepared, the reality can often feel overwhelming. Not only do you have to contend with sleep deprivation, a change in body shape, fluctuating hormones but a dramatic change in your social life too.
Returning to work after maternity leave can be a challenging experience for mothers. Many mothers struggle with going back to work-full time and may be affected by other pregnancy related issues such as post-natal depression.
When you decide to nurse your baby, you probably aren’t thinking about what you’ll be wearing whilst you’re doing it – but many nursing mums quickly realise that breastfeeding your baby can mean you have to give up your old wardrobe, which can make you feel like you’ve lost your identity.
Dr Carla Runchman is a Clinical Psychologist, mum of one, founder of Mama Diary and author of ‘Mama Notes’, a notebook for the first 12 weeks of motherhood to help mums focus on their emotional well-being. Together with space to make notes on newborn essentials such as feeding and nappies, each week has a well-being focus with ideas or activities to try, and journal pages with prompts to help you reflect on the important moments of these early weeks.
Is your weight an issue for you? Personally, I’ve never been hung up on what the scales say as I’ve seen so many times that scales don’t tell the full story. I prefer to go by measurements, how I look and feel and how my clothes fit. Learn more about Modius.
While you’re entitled to plenty of pampering and perks, there’s also those annoying pregnancy symptoms that you must deal with. Dizziness and vertigo, where you feel like the room is spinning even when everything’s stationary, are amongst the most troublesome symptoms. Although, it usually passes within seconds, there are times when it can last much longer.
Do you find that you have an increasing amount of ‘admin’ to do? Sometimes this can be hard to fit around family life and work can’t it!
Being pregnant requires you to be a bit more cautious about your actions and what you put in your mouth. You are eating for two people now, that doesn’t mean twice the volume, but it does mean you need to think about what will benefit both you and the baby – and of course what may not.