Taking Care of Yourself As A Mommy

I've read it in all of my parenting books and heard it from all my friends, you have to take care of yourself when you're a mommy. Yeah right, who has time for that?! No matter how old your child is, they are your first priority in life. You find very quickly that your life centers around this little angel and that your own needs and care become secondary. If you are anything like my friends and me, time for yourself becomes limited. This has to do with the fact that you are constantly taking care of your baby and of course are into a million playgroups, clubs, or activities.

Whatever the reason is, taking care of yourself is a priority that takes a backseat. This is a terrible injustice because a good mommy is a healthy one--and if mommy gets sick, then who takes care of her? This occurred to me as I lay in bed one day last week sick as a dog, sporting a surgical mask to keep my germs to myself. I looked down at my daughter's sweet little face and thought that I was not being the world's best mommy that day. I could barely get out of bed, so I had made her a little play area in bed with me. Not an ideal situation for a seven month old active girl! I'm lucky that I have a mom and husband who constantly come to my rescue, but the case remains that taking care of myself was not exactly top priority and that lead to me getting sick.

You know the basics--drink plenty of water, eat well, exercise, and get plenty of sleep. When I look at that list, I wonder how many of those I can actually implement on a weekly basis. I try to ensure that our family eats healthy, but sometimes I'm eating standing up as I gulp something down before the baby wakes up. I know that I feel so much better and fit into my clothes more easily when I exercise, but when I look at my list of to do items and have to cut something, this is usually a first activity to get the axe. Let's be honest, if you're in a time crunch and have a baby to take care of and errands to run, then your "me time" in general isn't going to exist and even eating a meal becomes a luxury.

I'm not complaining as I love being a mommy, but my point is that we all need to take a little time out of our day to take care of ourselves. We owe it not only to ourselves but to our little ones, they need us well so we can be the best mommy possible. Even if you can carve out a few minutes a day to eat a well balanced meal, get in a bit of exercise, or slip in a few extra minutes of sleep time--every bit helps to make sure you are a mommy in good shape. Don't forget to feed your mental well being by allowing yourself some adult chat time or some activity that allows you to keep your own identity.

Taking care of yourself can be tough when you're a mommy, and it most certainly isn't as important as taking care of your baby. Just remember that a good mommy is a healthy one so take whatever steps you can to ensure you are the best you can be.