Taking Care of YOU: Why Self- Care is Soooo Important During Pregnancy!

You know when life does that thing where everything you need to get done randomly falls within the same three days and you feel like you barely have time to eat or sleep for those three days?

You know...when your schedule looks like this?

And once those three days of chaos are over and you’ve checked everything off your to- do list, you realize you haven’t showered in a week and you’re left feeling gross and unorganized?

Your hair has been in a ponytail for 4 days straight because it’s so greasy, you haven’t shaved in maybe MONTHS, and you’re just craving that steaming hot everything shower.

But you’re not just craving the physical body shower, you’re craving a clean reset physically, mentally, emotionally...just all of it! 😅

You don’t just need a body shower...you need a SOUL shower.

Because you’ve been so busy, you’ve been neglecting your self-care and now your body and soul are in desperate need of some TLC.

Why Women (especially moms) NEED Self-Care Routines.

As women, we have this beautiful innate desire to take care of everyone around us and make sure they are good. The problem here is that in the process of taking care of everyone else, we often neglect ourselves.

We turn into superwoman for everyone and anyone who needs us, even if that means sacrificing our self-care.

It’s a beautiful thing- the superpowers of love and care that women possess, but to protect it forever we HAVE to prioritize self-care.

Self-care is sooo personal and totally differs depending on the person. It’s all about YOU, so you gotta find what works best for you.

Self-care can be your hygiene routine like having an everything shower once a week or having a bubbly spa bath twice a week to relax.

Self-care is also about mental health like going to therapy, journaling, meditating...

Self-care is also taking care of your emotional wellbeing and that can look like setting boundaries in relationships or cutting off toxic friends.

Self-care is also spiritual wellbeing which for some looks like practicing a religion and for others looks like singing and dancing in the kitchen because that’s good for the soul too!!

You know the drill; you have to put your oxygen mask on before you can help someone else put theirs on.

You have to keep your own cup full in order to fill other people's cups.

It is important to incorporate daily self-care habits into your routine so that eventually they just become non-negotiables that are a part of your life no matter what.

It’s especially important to build a self-care routine during pregnancy so that when baby comes, you’re still taking care of you.

Here are some examples of simple daily self-care habits that make ALL the difference:

• Daily walks - Reach your daily steps and get that vitamin D boost!

• Stay hydrated - Seems obvious, but did you know you should be drinking 80 ounces of water a day when you’re pregnant!?

• Journaling - Track your pregnancy journey, how you’ve been feeling, what some challenges have been and what some magical moments have been.

• Hobbies - Set some time aside to do something you love every day like reading, TikTok scrolling, singing, planning your next dream vacay... anything!

• Keep your space clean - Spend 10 minutes doing a quick tidy up before you go to bed so that you wake up to a fresh, clean space in the morning!

• Open your Rumbly box of the month - See all the soon-to-be mom goodies we sent you, because you deserve a treat. 😌
  

Self-Care Easing Postpartum Depression

Postpartum depression is a specific type of depression experienced by new moms following childbirth. It’s real, it happens, and its why emotional support and community are SO important throughout pregnancy and through postpartum.

Postpartum depression or the “baby blues” are typically brought on by hormonal changes, psychological adjustments to motherhood and fatigue and it can occur any time during pregnancy all the way up to one year after birth.

It totally makes sense. Having a baby naturally brings on an identity shift from being you, to being you as a mom...it’s a whole new addition to your identity! And a BIG one!

During pregnancy, so many women start feeling like a ‘vessel’ or ‘baby machine’ or whatever else you wanna call it and stop doing the things that make them feel taken care of and aligned.

And then this totalllllyyyyy translates into motherhood – we end up putting baby, the house, and our partners above ourselves and then it’s hello, burnout! 👋

Running it back to what I said earlier about our innate desire to take care of everyone no matter what...it’s amazing and it’s why you’re going to be such an incredible mom.

However, it’s a tale as old as time that our biggest strength can also be our biggest weakness.

If you go too overboard with taking care of your little one, you could very easily lose yourself in the process.

SO, one of the most effective ways to prevent postpartum depression is...can you guess...SELF-CAREEEE!!!

The more you can stay in a routine and keep taking care of yourself, the better your postpartum experience is gonna be.

Don’t get me wrong, I have four little ones of my own, it’s not realistic to think you’ll be able to stick to any sort of routine every. single. day.

Some days baby doesn’t sleep, so you don’t sleep and that’s just how it goes. I’m just saying try your best and don’t give up on yourself, mama!

And don’t forget, Rumbly is always here to provide for your self-care needs.

Sending hugs,

marnie