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Many new mums struggle with their confidence. Especially the first time. You may have gone from being successful in your work, relationship and hobbies to suddenly being thrown into something you have no idea about. All new mums feel like they don’t know what they are doing from time to time. The rest of your life, the bits you are good at, take a backseat while you try to cope with all that comes with looking after a newborn, and it’s not easy.
However, even through the struggles and the lack of sleep, it’s important to find ways to boost your confidence and remember that one day, you’ll be good at this too!
Write a List
Sit down and write a list of everything you love about yourself and everything you are good at. Ask your partner and friends to help you think of things. It’ll probably be much longer than you expect. When you are having a rough day, and starting to doubt yourself, take a look at this list.
Make Time for Your Interests
A new baby is all consuming. For the first few weeks being a parent is all you will have time for and that’s normal. But, once you get passed the six-week mark, things start to settle down, and you start to fall into a routine. This is the time to start carving out a little time in the day to do something you enjoy, something you feel good at. Take some time to be yourself, not just mum.
Exercise
When you’ve had a baby, it’s important not to rush back into exercise. Your body has been through a huge ordeal, and it needs some time to recover. So, start slowly with gentle walks and then build up to something like jogging, yoga or swimming. Exercise gives you an excuse to take some time for yourself, boosts your mood, gives you a great sense of pride and releases endorphins, serotonin and adrenaline, all of which make you feel great. Just remember to listen to your body and don’t push too hard.
Treat Yourself
Treating yourself happens much less when you’ve had children, so make the most of it when you do get the chance. Treats don’t need to be big, just going out for a coffee with friends, having a long bubble bath at the end of the day or getting a new book from the library can be all it takes to boost your mood and confidence.
Look After Your Appearance
No one expects you to look your best all the time. To be honest, when you’ve got a cute new baby to show off, no one cares what you look like at all. But, it can help to make you feel better. Simple things like going to get your hair done, changing up the way you do your make-up, or buying a new dress can go a long way to make you feel great. If you’re feeling really adventurous you can go all out and consider getting a full on makeover, improving your smile with whitening kits and dental implants, or start a personal training regime at your local gym!
Make sure you constantly remind yourself that you are doing your best and all new mums have set backs. Your baby is fed, looked after and loved. You are doing a great job!
This is a collaborative post.
Welcome to Birds and Lilies! I'm Lou: mother, blogger and freelance writer. This is my lifestyle blog, where I talk about motherhood, infertility and IVF, beauty, my love for food and wine, as well as my thoughts about stuff, and our real-life and travel adventures.
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