Babys First Year Blog
5 Ways I Take Care Of Mommy
Dude, this is gonna be me tomorrow afternoon!!
Moms takes care of baby (and other kids), Daddy takes care of baby (and other kids), Daddy implicitly takes care of Daddy.
Who takes care of Mommy?
I’ve noticed that most of the time I take care of my kids’ needs before my own, and often my husband’s, too.
Some examples:
1. When I am preparing food in the kitchen, I always prepare food for them before I feed myself, hence I often end up not having enough time to eat or I even forget to eat. Coffee gets pushed after milk, baby cereal, big kid cereal, banana slicing, juice pouring, etc. No wonder I always have a headache.
2. In the morning, when Fuzz and I wake up, I almost always change his diaper and clothes before I even use the facilities myself. This makes for a rather uncomfortable, (yet swift) diaper change.
3. I am often cleaning up or feeding the baby in the morning while still wearing my pajamas, long after my husband has taken a shower, something he manages to make a priority.
4. I often leave my own needs until the end of the day…when I’m too tired to take care of any of them.
Lately, I’ve been trying to make a concerted effort to change this behavior. I think it’s important to take care of myself, because if I don’t, no one else will. After the jump, here are some of the things I’m doing for myself to take care of me:
1. Exercise: A few months ago, I started making time to go running a few times a week. I always do this alone, and not with the jogging stroller, because it’s ME time. On occasion, I wouldn’t mind bringing Fuzz, but I’d make those jogs additional. It’s not just about exercise, but more about having alone time to clear my mind.
2. Tuning in to my body: A concerted effort to pay attention to my body and what it might need: Yoga? A Nap? A Massage? A Coolhaus Ice cream sandwich? I’m looking forward to the massage and chiropractic adjustment I booked for myself tomorrow.
3. Girls Night: A night with friends at least once a month is totally essential for my emotional well-being.
4. Date Night: Remembering that it was once just the two of us, and we’re not only Mommy and Daddy (even if we do end up talking about the kids for at least part of the night).
5. Speak Up Or Suck It Up: Fuzz cries when he needs me. Shnook tells me what he wants every three seconds. Daddy tells me what he wants, or just does it. Looks like if I want it, I have to speak up, and then do it, too. Being considerate is one thing, but ultimately, I realized I just have to lay it down: If I need an afternoon to myself, I set it up. You gotta do what you gotta do.
How do you take care of yourself as a mom?
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2 Comments
jamiebeths commented on May 11 11 at 9:28 amagreed. i did an artists’ way group from january – april. i didn’t love the book, but i loved the group. it was a great way to be out of the house with adults. also, because there were assignments involved, i made a point to leave the house to do the assignments as well. built in deadlines help!
Megan commented on May 11 11 at 3:22 pmI didn’t make time for myself a priority after I had my son almost 8 years ago. Part of it was being a young mom(23) whose friends were not married or having kids yet. I learned my lesson. My daughter is 4 months old, and I’ve been taking at least a little bit of me time right from the start. Sometimes she and/or my son come with me, sometimes 1 or both of the kids stay home with dad or a sitter. I walk 4 mornings a week with friends before we all go to work. I go water-walking at the Y 1 or 2 nights a week with a friend. Once a month or so I have a mommies’ night out with one of my friends, and I am taking an adult ballet/jazz class once a week. I also am on the board of our local community theatre and will most likely try out for the fall, winter and spring shows this year. Even though I may be spending a little less time with my daughter, than I did with my son at the same age, I feel better, and I am enjoying her more, than I did my son when he was a baby. I never thought that balancing kids, work, and my social life would be easier with 2 kids than it was with one, but that is what is happeneing right now. The biggest difference is that I now have other mom friends, so I can have a social life and still be with the kids.
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