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Health for every stage of life:
The "New parents" addition

One topic that seldom gets attention is how any healthy guidelines apply to new parents. Every pillar gets tested: sleep is broken, managing stress is difficult, finding time (or energy) to move intentionally may be hard, finding time to hang out with friends is hard as well… heck! Even eating well is a struggle at times. The process of adjusting to your new normal can even put strain on your relationship with your partner.

Here are some easy guidelines to help with the next few months (and beyond) of adjusting:

1. Sleep

First, the bad news: it won’t easily be the same again. Some babies sleep through soon, if not from birth. Some kids never sleep through right into adulthood. Whatever your reality is, if you find yourself sleep deprived, try some of these hacks:

• Arrange with your partner to tag-team night feeds, so you can have some nights off. If you’re breast feeding, try to express for night feeds, so your Little/s can still get the good stuff.
• If you have help during the day, duck out for a nap around lunch. If you struggle to sleep during the day, tap out when the sun rises and sleep in.
• Arrange with family to come over and lend a hand while you take a shower, eat a decent meal, crawl back in bed and recoup some hours of sleep. Most grandparents would relish the time to bond with their grandchildren.
• If you’re a single parent, contact your nearest baby clinic and ask for details of support groups for single parents in the area. Make a friend or five so you can support each other.
• If you do have a little budget to work with, arrange for a night nurse, or nanny to take over some evenings so you can get some rest.

To be the best parent you can be, you will need an adequate amount of rest.

2. Stress management

Adjusting to the new schedule in the house, and the care of a new little person can place strain on your relationship with your partner. This is outside of the mental and physical strain on yourself. The added responsibility can wreak havoc on your peace.

As counterintuitive as this may sound, taking time for yourself is even more important now. Meditating, grounding, breathing exercises, and staying close to God helps to calm your activated nervous system.

3. Moving your body

When your system is flooded with cortisol, you’re sleep deprived and you’re battling to just stay fully functioning, it’s best to take your exercise routine down a notch. An activated sympathetic nervous system responds best to gentle, continuous movements like swimming, dancing, and walking in the sun.

Good advice to new parents is to take the Little/s out for a walk, or dance with them on your arms. One of the many bonusses is that as they grow your weighted training will naturally grow in intensity as they do. Getting into a habit of moving with them will benefit you and them in the long run too.

4. Meaningful connection

The most important connection to invest in at this point is your relationship with your partner. As soon as you can manage it, arrange for a date. If you breast feed, make sure to either express or have a formula feed ready. Also get baby bottle-ready before the time.

Be prepared for the fact that the first date together may feel weird and stressful. Keep up the habit of getting together. This breakaway is necessary for both of you. In time, this will allow for you to get back to your friends and hobbies. You are a parent, and still a whole person. Investing in yourself is essential for your own and your family’s health.

5. Eating well

Comfort eating is a thing when you become a new parent. There doesn’t seem to be energy or time to cook healthy meals. On top of that, because of the extra responsibility and sleep deprivation it’ll be even easier to fall ill. Be sure to focus on taking a good B complex, zinc, and selenium daily and get in the sun in the morning for your vitamin D.

If you’re worried about nutrition, here are some ideas:

• Consider meal prepping before the baby arrives. Freeze the meals in single portion sizes in airtight containers or zip lock bags and lean on these meals when energy to cook is at its lowest.
• Plan your healthy snacks and have a reliable at-home delivery service drop them at the house (think Checkers Sixty60, or PnP ASAP). Things like carrot sticks, nuts, apples, seed crackers with hummus, and nut butter can go a long way when you just need to grab something to nibble on.
• Prep some frozen fruit for smoothies. Something as simple as frozen berries, a hand full of baby spinach, two celery stalks with a good shake of cinnamon can do wonders for a sluggish, tired brain. Upside is there is virtually no washing up.
• NEVER leave the house without emergency snacks and a bottle of cold water. If you drink a lot of water, remember to drink a rehydration pack after about two liters of water. This is especially true for breastfeeding moms.

In summary

Getting the opportunity to raise a little person is most possibly the biggest blessing life has to offer. Soak in every moment, even the tough parts. In all of this, remember that if you aren’t at your best, you can’t offer much.

If you need help figuring out how to put new habits in place or how to adjust healthily to your new normal, don’t be afraid to reach out to us.

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