Between the lack of sleep, the change in hormones, the intense healing process from pregnancy and birth, postpartum can be a very challenging season. Add in that all our time and energy go towards learning how to keep a tiny human alive leaving us with little time or effort to commit towards “me-time.” However, I’ve noticed that when I’m able to dedicate small amounts of time to my health and wellness in the form of movement, sleep, or nutrition, I bring more energy towards mothering my baby. Because of the mental health benefits from postpartum self-care, I became very protective of the snippets of “free time” and tried to incorporate some form of postpartum wellness or postpartum fitness into my days.
Here are a few items that helped me with my postpartum wellness and postpartum fitness:
Workouts with the Pregnant Postpartum Athlete training program: When I got pregnant, I didn’t know if I needed to adapt my normal exercise routine or just keep doing what I’ve always done. Google searches about exercising while pregnant and exercising while postpartum turn up a whole lot of opinions and fear mongering, but not a lot of science. I wanted to continue my love for movement in a safe way, so I enlisted the expert, Brianna Battles, to help me in this new athletic season. Brianna is a strength & conditioning coach and the creator of the Pregnant Postpartum Athlete training program. This program prescribes week-by-week workouts for your entire pregnancy and postpartum journey. Brianna also incorporates prehab and rehab exercises for your core and pelvic floor. *Consult your doctor prior to starting any workout program*
Needed Collagen Powder: My pelvic floor physical therapist recommended collagen powder during pregnancy and postpartum. Collagen protein is supposed to help pregnant and postpartum mamas pelvic floor tissue, provide high quality protein, grow baby’s cells, and support skin elasticity. I used collagen powder all throughout my pregnancy and during the postpartum season by simply sprinkling it on my daily oatmeal. Use the code ROAMAROO for 15% off!
Sweat & Milk Sports Bras: I tried ordering nursing sports bras off of Amazon, but none of them were very supportive nor were they cute. If you want high impact, full support, CUTE sports bras that are great for nursing, definitely check out Sweat & Milk. They’re the only sports bras I wear while nursing.
Photo credit: Needed
Taking Cara Babies Sleep Course: Sleep is one of the most important aspects of postpartum wellness and postpartum fitness, but also seemingly untouchable in the early postpartum months. The Taking Cara Babies sleep course helped us immensely with our newborn sleep habits and helped my baby sleep through the night by 8 weeks, which in turn, meant I was sleeping more! Win, Win!
The SNOO: The SNOO was a huge help for my postpartum wellness because it helped my baby sleep longer, which in turn helped ME get more rest. This bassinet responds to the sounds and movements of the baby by soothing the baby with movement and white noise.
Prenatal Vitamins: When I went to my first prenatal doctor’s appointment, my doctor stressed the importance of prenatal vitamins. All throughout my pregnancy, I supported my growing baby and my body with prenatal vitamins. Now as a breastfeeding mother in my postpartum season, I’m supporting my postpartum wellness and postpartum fitness by taking the same Ancient Prenatal Vitamins prenatal vitamins to keep both my baby and myself supported nutritionally.
To my fellow postpartum mamas out there, I see you. I hear you. I stand beside you. I am you. This season is SO difficult and it’s not talked about enough. Please know that no matter what you’re going through, you are not alone.
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