Pregnancy and postpartum are journeys filled with immense joy and a whirlwind of emotions. While you’re likely busy preparing for your new arrival, it’s crucial to prioritize your own well-being. This includes your mental health, which can sometimes take a backseat during these demanding yet beautiful times.
Understanding the Landscape: Common Mental Health Concerns
Many women experience emotional shifts during pregnancy and postpartum. Some of the most common concerns include:
Anxiety: Worrying about the health of your baby, labor and delivery, or parenthood in general is perfectly normal. However, if anxiety becomes overwhelming and interferes with your daily life, it’s important to seek help.
Depression: Feeling down, low on energy, or experiencing a loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed could be signs of perinatal depression, which affects millions of women.
Baby Blues: Feeling weepy, irritable, or overwhelmed in the first few days after delivery is common. If these feelings persist beyond two weeks, it could be a sign of postpartum depression.
Postpartum OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder): Intrusive thoughts or repetitive behaviors centered around your baby’s well-being can be a sign of postpartum OCD.
It’s Okay to Ask for Help: Resources and Strategies
The good news is that you don’t have to navigate these challenges alone. Here are some resources and strategies to support your mental well-being:
Talk to Your Doctor: Be open and honest with your doctor about your emotional state. They can screen for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders and recommend treatment options.
Connect with a Therapist: Therapy can provide a safe space to explore your feelings and develop coping mechanisms. Consider therapists specializing in perinatal mental health. There are many options to search for therapists, including the Psychology Today website, where you can filter on geography and area of focus, and then read biographies of therapists in your area.
Support Groups: Connecting with other mothers experiencing similar challenges can be incredibly validating. Online and in-person support groups can be a source of strength and connection.
Self-Care Practices: Prioritize activities that nourish your mind and body, such as meditation, yoga, spending time in nature, or pursuing hobbies you enjoy.
Building a Strong Support System: Having a reliable network of family, friends, or a partner who can listen and offer support can make a significant difference.
Hygeia Cares: Supporting Moms Every Step of the Way
At Hygeia Health, we understand that motherhood is a journey with its unique set of challenges and rewards. We’re committed to empowering mothers not just with high-quality breast pumps, but also with resources for your overall well-being.
Here are some additional resources we recommend:
- The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline: Call or text 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262) for confidential support from trained counselors, available 24/7.
- Postpartum Support International (PSI): Offers support groups, resources, and a helpline (Postpartum Support International).
Remember, prioritizing your mental health is not a sign of weakness – it’s a sign of strength and a commitment to your well-being. By seeking support and taking care of yourself, you’ll be better equipped to care for your baby and thrive in your new role as a mother.
BREASTFEEDING
7 Raw Breastfeeding Photos Uncover A Rarely-Talked About Side
As a breast pump company, obviously breastfeeding and pumping go hand-in-hand in our thought-process. The same cannot be said for much of the population. People thinking “nursing mother” and they think special tucked away moments between mother and child in a cozy chair, rocking baby. It is likely they never think of a mom hidden in a corner hooked up to a machine while in work attire and expressing milk just so she can bag it up and get back to her job.
Photographer Leah DeVun has a wonderfully moving photo project she titled In The Age Of Mechanical Reproduciton that features images of women using breast pumps. [See more here.]
Images: Leah DeVun
PREGNANCY
What Makes Pregnancy Labor Progress?
They say every month has about 30 days, except the final month of pregnancy which has 3,053 days! Once you hit the point of full term, most moms are totally ready for labor to start and have their water break on the kitchen floor. (Spoiler: most moms do not experience a Hollywood style water break and instead the doctor breaks it for them while in the hospital!) If you are ready to get the show on the road, there are no natural guarantees, but some of these recommendations have helped others. [Read more here.]
Test Your Baby Name
Having trouble deciding on your baby name? Or maybe you have one, but you are still hesitant to commit? We understand. In some ways it feels like you are defining your child’s future. (Even though that is ridiculous!) But there are things to consider. This list has a lot of the top questions to ask yourself about a name before committing. Saying the name out loud for hypothetical situations is beneficials as well. (How will it sound being shouted in your ‘you are in big trouble’ voice?) [Read more here.]
MOTHERHOOD
A Book’s Content Matters More To Kids’ Learning Than Whether It’s Digital Or Print, Study Finds
Read. To. Your. Kids. I am sure you have been told that it is kind of important. It definitely is; so much so, that new studies are saying how the kids consume reading is not as important as the reading itself. Parents who give their children tablets or phones are sometimes scolded or looked down on because of “too much screen time,” but maybe the child is still benefitting.
“While many studies over the years have vacillated on whether digital books are good for youngsters (or any reader, really) a recent study found that when it comes to reading comprehension, the format might not be the most important thing. A book’s content matters more to kids’ learning than whether it’s digital or print — at least for preschoolers.” [Read more here.]
6 Common Parenting Habits That Are Hurting Your Health
As a parent, it is easy to be so focused on taking care of the kids that you forget to also take care of yourself. But keep in mind, you cannot take care of your kids if you get sick!
“[U]nlike biting your nails or chewing with your mouth open, there are actually quite a few common parenting habits you don’t realize are killing you. I’m not talking about turning into a meth manufacturer to save your family from debt, a la Walter White. I’m talking about everyday habits that are harmful mentally and physically.”
Take a read and see which of these habits are a part of your daily routine and figure out how you can remedy them sooner rather than later. Your kids need you healthy, mama! [Read more here.]
INFANTS
17 Questions You’ll Ask Yourself the First Time Your Baby Sleeps Through the Night
What’s that noise? Wait, nothing? Not your baby? The first night your baby sleeps through the night, in theory, is a dream come true. What more could you want after nights of up and down, intermittent sleep? More than likely, though, you won’t sleep through the night despite how at peace your babe may be. You will wonder and worry. We are doing our best to help you in advance. Read through these questions and know, every parent runs through question after question on the first occasion of baby’s sweet slumber-filled night. [Read more here.]
New moms: which stroller is right for you and your baby?
As a new mom, figuring out what baby products to list on your registry can be really overwhelming. It is especially hard to decide on some of the more costly products. Which pacifiers to buy? Who knows… Buy several kinds to see what works. The same cannot be said for a stroller. (Unless maybe you are a Kardashian and can afford one in every brand and color.) For the rest of us, we need some guidance for the one perfect fit. (Or at least best fit.) Use this post to learn more about these five strollers that were used by a mom like you. [See stroller reviews here.]
TODDLERS
6 Ways to Encourage Toddlers to Actually Sit Still and Eat Already
How do you find the balance of not having half-filled plates of food sitting out from meal to meal, but not being cruel and snatching away your kid’s food before they’ve eating a sufficient amount? Toddlers are the worst at not simply sitting and completing a meal. Even when they like the food you put in front of them, they easily become distracted and can have trouble sitting still and focusing on finishing their plate.
“Toddlers are busy little people,” says Natalia Stasenko MS, RD, CDN, of Tribeca Nutrition. “Plus, their growth slows after 12 months, so they do not need as many calories. So sitting down for meals is not their priority.”
The good news is, there are ways to reign in your child’s all-over-the-place eating habits and this article includes advice from professionals. [Read more here.]
Pics That Will Make You Feel Better About Your Current Situation
There is a season of life all parents endure through it’s ups and downs: toddlerhood. While dealing with meltdowns, weirdness at home can drive you close to the edge, you can always change up the vibe and escape the house. Experiencing the extreme situations of being the parent of a toddler in public is another story. You feel all of the heads turning and watching. You even feel the ones actively making a point not to stare. But the Instagram account Kids Are The Worst does a great job of bringing parents together in their moments of “glory” (or lack thereof). Misery loves company, right? Check out a compilation of classic moments shared from this Instagram account here.
IMAGE VIA INSTAGRAM/ KIDS ARE THE WORST
