How to Deal with Exhaustion during Your Postnatal Period

After birth, many mothers experience fatigue, especially if they do not get much help from the people around. You may suffer from insomnia and backaches among others and not to mention having to deal with long hours of lack of sleep. Your baby would require attention almost all the time, and you’d have to wake up countless times during the night to either change the baby, cuddle, or just keep them company until they decide to sleep. That is why postnatal care for mother is extremely crucial.

If your baby is not latching well during breastfeeding, there can be a whole different set of issues and body discomforts that you are dealing with. Engorgement, blocked ducts, low or over supply, mastitis – unfortunately, the list goes on. This is not to say you will certainly experience all of these, but they can begin with improper latch. 

Your hormones too are unforgiving, and you no longer feel in control of your body. Dealing with all these experiences can easily weigh one down, making you prone to exhaustion, anxiety and even depression. If you are sailing in this boat, here are tips to help you beat that fatigue during the postnatal period;

Delegate Duties

You are strong, but you are not a person with extraordinary superpower. You have a breaking point, and the sooner you realize that, the better for you and everybody else. You also cannot handle all the tasks in your home. Hey, the home can run smoothly even without you. You do not have to be at the centre of every activity in your household.

If you cannot manage all the household duties such as cleaning, cooking and running errands, seek extra help from others like certain professionals or the rest of your family and friends. If you do not have someone to help you out, visit a confinement centre and understand the services you can get from them. There are so many of them in Singapore that you can visit. Just select one that offers the best services and has good reviews. You can pay for the services of a nanny who will help you run your home until you have fully recovered.

Go for Light Exercises

You can consider creating your own version of post pregnancy exercise! You can just take a walk or do basic yoga. The sessions will help you reflect on your wellbeing, allow you to breathe some fresh air away from your home and help you to relax. It is an excellent time to enjoy some alone time away from everybody. You will have an opportunity to feel and connect with your body uninterrupted. During the session, be a little selfish and think about yourself. You can plan for such sessions often and very soon you will be able to balance between taking care of your baby and nursing yourself to good health.

Spend Time to Relax

No, not just ‘sleep when your baby sleeps’. You have to actually set aside some time just for resting alone without possibility of being interrupted by anyone or anything else. You can consider getting post natal massage in Singapore services that many postpartum moms go for, or you can simply catch up on sleep. Let everyone in the house know that you have set this time – for example from this hour until that hour – to relax and hence, cannot be disturbed.

Limit Your Guests

Your friends and relatives will be dropping by quite frequently to check on you and the newborn. Some may even come to visit without alerting you and thus force you to spend your rest time entertaining them. Do not compromise your rest. Be firm with your guests. Tell them you need time to rest. If they are merely visiting and not taking up your time, then this is ok. They can buy you groceries, baby supplies or even assist in the household chores as you catch some sleep. Catch up with them once you have enjoyed your rest. It may appear rude, but you need all the rest to survive throughout the period. They need to be understanding of your situation. That’s why they are your friends or relatives, right?

Listen to Your Body

Finally, learn to listen to your body and follow what it feels and says. If you feel that your body is almost giving up and you are on the verge of collapsing, then you probably are. Drop everything and take some rest. If you have clothes in the laundry basket, they can wait, if other children require your attention, they too can wait. Let your family handle these things while you take care of yourself. If you are handling all the duties all by yourself, visit a confinement centre and hire a nanny to help you until you have fully recovered.