How Indian Moms Can Create A Self-Care Routine After Delivery With A Newborn

Wondering if pregnancy was the toughest nine months? or patting yourself on the back for birthing a tiny human into this world?

Well, of course it was an achievement!

But are you also feeling this intense, mixed rush of emotions filled with love, hate, happiness, and sadness at the same time, post delivery?

If yes! then, welcome to the “Mama Recharge Phase!” also known as the postpartum period.

The postpartum period is phase two of pregnancy, which is equally important and challenging.

It is considered the fourth trimester and is laden with PMS-like symptoms, extreme thirst, intense sweating episodes, spilling milk, sleeplessness, sleepiness, etc.

So, to make this mama’s rebooting easier, this blog will serve as the best postpartum self-care practices for Indian women.

It includes essential tips, tricks, and some sneaky secrets for a postpartum self-care routine for new mothers!

What is the postpartum period?

This refers to the time period required by the mother’s body to return to the pre-pregnancy state post delivery.

On average, it might last for 6 to 8 weeks, but it could also extend, depending upon the individual’s healing journey.

A woman goes through a huge emotional, mental, and physical transition during pregnancy. This is due to the high influx of pregnancy hormones, thus enabling the female body to sustain childbirth.

During postpartum, all these changes return back to normal, including uterine shrinkage, pelvic floor rehabilitation, hormonal adjustments, return of menstrual cycle, etc.

In short, it is like a rebirth of a woman into a mother and then into a wonder woman!

Why is it important?

As a new mother, a woman has lots of responsibilities towards her child, as she is the only person her child recognizes. Also, postpartum, while handling the intricate childcare, self-care tends to take a back seat.

This happens due to the mother's innate ability to prioritise her child selflessly over herself!

However, it must not be forgotten that caring for others begins with caring for yourself, and this compels achieving a newborn care and self-care balance.

Factoid: New mothers develop superhuman hearing capabilities to identify even a slight whimper of their little munchkins!

Let us now begin with essential post-delivery care tips for moms to beat their postpartum blues!

Understanding The Challenges Of Postpartum Care

Motherhood is a challenging journey filled with endless sessions of breastfeeding, diaper changes, sleepless nights, bathless days, anxiety, baby blues, etc.

According to a study, almost 75% of mothers experience baby blues, and up to 15% of them are traumatised with postpartum depression post their delivery.

This statistic is a clear and loud cry towards prioritising postpartum self-care tips for new moms.

Also Read: 8 Major Postpartum Body Changes After Birth Of Baby

Now, let us begin by understanding the challenges and self-care ideas for Indian mothers one by one.

I. Sleep Deprivation

Sleep is the body's way to reboot. It helps in preparing the mind and body for the next day by providing sufficient rest to the bodily functions.

Importance of sleep

There are two stages of sleep that are linked to rapid eye movement (REM). It is non-REM and REM.

Process of non-REM

This has three stages.

• Stage 1: Drowsy state where the body relaxes with semi-awareness.
• Stage 2:Temperature drops, heartbeat slows, and eye movement ceases.
• Stage 3: Deep sleep with slower breathing and unawareness about the surroundings.

This complete process reaches the most restorative stage of sleep, which takes about 90 minutes. After this the body slips into the REM stage.

Process of REM

This is where the brain waves speed up and there is constant eye movement, processing the entire day through dreams. This accounts for about 10 minutes and happens 4 to 5 times per night.

The first stage accounts for one-third of the night, and the second stage is towards the morning.

Impact of sleep deprivation

Lack of sleep affects overall performance of the body and mind. During postpartum, the importance of sleep is magnified due to the time required for healing of the mother’s mental, emotional, and physical health.

A. Impact on mental health

According to research, a mother loses almost 68 days of sleep before the first birthday of the child.

This has immense consequences on her mental health, including:

• Due to hormonal changes and sleep deprivation, the chances of postpartum depression (PPD) increase.
• Extreme PMS-like symptoms.
• Onset of “mom brain syndrome,” which leads to impairment in her decision-making, lack of mental clarity, forgetfulness, etc.
• Decreases the ability to multitask, which is an absolute demand in this period.
• Impacts self-confidence due to failure of achieving societal “good mom standards.” This slowly leads to social isolation and thus, PPD.

All these factors also impact her physical healing process.

Also Read: A Natural Duo for New Moms' Mental Well-being

B. Impact on physical health

The physical recovery after childbirth is one of the most important factors that requires post-delivery care for moms.

Also, a healthy mind breeds a healthy body, and thus, the importance of sleep cannot be discarded, especially during the postpartum period.

Sleep deprivation might lead to:

• Decreased body function to repair the vaginal tissues.
• Mothers with perineal tearing during childbirth require adequate sleep as it helps in reducing the inflammation.
• Weakening of immunity that increases susceptibility to various infections like mastitis, UTI, etc.
• Increase risk of inflammation leading to headache, joint pain, back pain, etc.
• Negatively impacting the hormones, affecting the milk supply, metabolism, self-body temperature regulation, energy levels, etc.
• Lowering of the metabolism, leading to weight gain.
• Increasing muscle soreness and risk of cardiovascular conditions.
• Affecting motor skills and thus clumsy handling of a fragile baby.
• Increasing gastrointestinal issues, uneven or dull complexion, and risk of other skin issues like acne, eczema, etc.

All this might have a long-term effect on the mothers and might lead to her poor health in the long run.

Also Read: A New Mom's Guide to Treating their Postpartum Acne and Melasma

Managing expectations in Indian cultural contexts

Indian societal expectations of a “perfect mom syndrome” might sometimes lead to poor mental health in postpartum mothers.

This is because the societal standards compel the postpartum mothers into:

• Being quick healers and getting back to household chores in some traditional joint families.
• The older generation ignoring mothers’ poor mental health as an excuse to relax.
• Forced for multiple breastfeeding sessions, irrespective of the challenges of milk supply.
• Pressure to be self-sufficient.
• Familial expectations to entertain everyone, contrary to the wishes.

The vicious cycle

Sleep deprivation and poor mental health are a vicious cycle that has intricately intertwined consequences. One leads to another, thus impacting the postpartum mothers in more serious ways than can be comprehended.

How Indian Moms Can Create A Self-Care Routine After Delivery

The new motherhood journey is an endless pathway of challenges. Thus, creating a self-care routine for new moms paves a way towards healthy postpartum healing. Let us discuss how.

I. Prioritise rest and recovery

A good sleep is a precursor to a self-healing process during the postpartum period. Some effective measures include:

• Try sleeping when the baby sleeps to make up for the lost sleep. Regular naps help in decreasing mental inefficiency.
• Create a sleep-friendly environment for both you and the baby. Keep the room dark and quiet.
• Limit your screen time, especially during the nighttime, to enhance the sleep cycle.
• Prioritise self-time and isolation when needed by asking for help.
• Ask your partner to help you out during the nighttime feedings with the breast pump.

Always keep a water bottle within your reach to keep yourself well-hydrated for breastfeeding.

Factoid: A good sleep cycle boosts the lactation.

Also Read: Essential Hydration Techniques for Postpartum

II. Nutrition and hydration

Your quality and quantity of food intake fuels your body, and thus, diet plays one of the most significant roles in the postpartum self-care routine.

A healthy, nutritious diet is the need of the hour for a faster recovery. Hence, let us now discuss some nourishing food to boost your “mama recharge phase.”

Superfoods for postpartum mothers

• Panjiri: The energy bomb! 

It has immense energy-boosting properties due to the amazing ingredients like whole wheat flour, multiple dry fruits, edible gum, and loads of ghee.

• Methi: The magic milk-maker!

This is an excellent powerhouse that helps in boosting the milk production, balancing hormones, and also in reducing inflammation during the postpartum period. It also contains iron and calcium, which help in healthy blood flow and bones.

Consumption: Methi ladoos, paratha, tea, etc.

• Turmeric: The golden healer!

Turmeric has efficient anti-healing, anti-inflammatory, and anti-microbial properties that help with healing in all ways.

Consumption: In food,turmeric-flavoured milk.

• Leafy greens: Iron powerhouse!

The green veggies are rich in iron, calcium, and folic acid, which are the key elements to replenish a body’s recovery.

Consumption: Spinach, Moringa, etc.

• Dates: fatigue fighter

They are an excellent source of iron, fibre, and essential vitamins. They provide an energy boost, improve digestion, and also help in fighting episodes of fatigue during the postpartum period.

Consumption: raw or in sweet, free desserts.

Factoid: Breastfeeding increases dehydration. So, always keep a water bottle within your reach to keep yourself well hydrated during sessions.

III. Physical well-being

Active physical movement is essential for the release of stress hormones (cortisol) and happy hormones (dopamine and oxytocin) that support both a healthy mind and a healthy body.

Gentle exercises

These include postpartum yoga, walking in nature with your baby, pelvic floor exercises like kegels, etc.

They help in pelvic muscle healing, bladder control, improved blood circulation, body stamina, and immunity, etc., thus enabling you to feel confident about your body, besides working on those extra calories.

Do visit R for Rabbit's Instagram page for such amazing workout sessions and more!

Traditional Indian massages for mothers and their benefits

The workout sessions, followed by good massages, are the cherry on top during the postpartum period.

This can be done either by using abhyanga (oil massage), ubtan for skin glow replenishment, and a head massage with warm oil to help with sleep deprivation.

Benefits of massage:

• Relieves muscle tension from childbirth
• Posture development
• Relief from joint pain
• Improves blood circulation
• Decreases swelling
• Promotes calmness in episodes of hormonal adjustments
• Facilitates uterine contraction
• Helps with pelvic floor recovery
• Encourages emotional regulation
• Improves sleep cycle
• Enhances bond with the baby

Factoid: Light workouts and oil massage sessions help in a faster muscle recovery and release of the retained pregnancy fluids in the body.

IV. Mental health care

This is one of the most ignored subjects among postpartum mothers. Doing a few mindfulness exercises for just 10 minutes can help boost concentration, gain mental clarity, enhance mood, relieve anxiety, and also promote good sleep.

Seeking emotional support from family or online groups

Although, undoubtedly, mothers are superhumans who can make anything possible, there might be instances that compel you to seek help.

Do not hesitate to reach out within time because being a mother is a full-time job, and one cannot always do it perfectly.

Factoid: Sometimes, skin-to-skin contact can also help reduce anxiety and stress in both the mother and the baby.

Incorporating Baby Care Into Your Routine

The postpartum period is crucial for both the mother and the baby.

Therefore, although, at times, you might feel the urge to be alone and in a “no disturb zone,” you cannot deny the fact that you will have to spend not hours or days but months in your baby’s care.

Hence, it is always beneficial to incorporate a mix of mother-baby care routines for a healthy, symbiotic relationship wherever possible. Let us discuss how.

How to create a self-care routine with a newborn?

• Make it a habit to listen to a podcast or an audiobook during feeding sessions.
• Practice meditation or listen to soft music to relax your mind and body during the early-morning or late-night feedings.
• Convert the diaper-changing or solid-feeding sessions into storytelling sessions. This will also enhance your child’s communication skills with time.
• Do mother-baby massage sessions together to enhance the bonding.
• You can practice a few yoga stretches while rocking or playing with your baby.

Factoid: Stress impacts the milk supply. Therefore, it is very important to practice a few breathing exercises or meditation before breastfeeding to ensure optimum supply.

This is the brain-milk connection, and the release of cortisol plays the key role!

Also Read: 5 Practical Stress Management Tips for New Moms

Building A Support System

As it is said, it takes a village to raise a child, and therefore, baby care is not just a one-member job!

In Indian families, there are a lot of people to care for the child, from mother, mother-in-law, sister, aunts to extended families, etc. This gives moms ample time for self-care and self-prioritisation while her baby is in safe hands.

Sometimes, having people around can also help the mothers to express their feelings and emotions openly. This shared wisdom might also help them to navigate through the early phases of motherhood with ease.

In case you live away from your family, there are always friends, support groups, and parenting communities to help you through it.

In short, it must be engraved in your minds that no matter how strong you are, your postpartum period will require assistance.

This is because you might be unaware about a lot of things happening to and around you, besides learning to handle the tiny human.

Also, if you would like to be a part of the mom tribe, get medical advice from experts, have fun interactive sessions, and more, then do check out our R for Rabbit Parenting WhatsApp community.

Time-Saving Hacks For New Parents

Let us now discuss some time-saving hacks and secrets to leverage and balance both yours and the baby’s self-care in tandem.

• Pack a diaper bag with all the diapering essentials in advance.
• Have quick meals stocked for instant nutrition. For example, pre-chopped veggies, frozen meals, instant homemade ready-to-make recipes, etc.
• Invest in a baby play gym or This would create a baby-friendly zone at your home while you can focus on other household chores or office work, etc.
• Utilise the technology efficiently by keeping constant voice reminders. This is to remind you of your shopping lists, baby’s diaper time, sleeping time, important appointments, etc.
• Prepare a batch of homemade baby food that can be instantly prepared.
• Use a baby carrier if your child does not want to be left alone during various household chores.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

There are a few mistakes that should be avoided during the postpartum period to encourage a healthy mom recovery phase. These include:

• I-can-do-it-all zone

Although, yes, you can! It is still important to prioritise your health and ask your partner or your family to take over for some time while you rest. Always think about the long-term repercussions while ignoring yourself before your baby.

• Being a people pleaser

Although you might love pleasing people and your family, this is not their time but yours. So, be very calculative about where and when to give your energy and time to someone.

• I want perfection

Well, apologies! But this certainly is a far-fetched game. Striving for perfection is going to give you nothing but more anxiety and stress. Always remember, no matter what or how you do it, you are the most perfect human in your baby’s eyes.

• I-can-move-on

During postpartum, you are entangled in so many emotions that sometimes you might tend to disregard the mental or emotional outburst, considering it will heal on its own. Suppressing such emotions and feelings would only lead to clouding your judgements.

• Baby >>> self

Yes, babies are tiny humans, and therefore, they do require extra attention and care. But, since they are dependent upon you, it is mandatory to self-care before moving to baby-care.

For example, what if your baby requires your attention and your exhaustion wants you to sleep? Pushing yourself during such instances consistently might have a negative impact on your mental health over time.

Conclusion

The postpartum period is one of the most important phases for a woman. This phase, following pregnancy, demands body recovery from all the brilliant magic of childbearing and childbirth.

Such intense transformations during pregnancy require an equally intense body replenishing phase. Thus, the postpartum period demands loads of attention, care, and love from self, family, friends, support groups, and more.

Also, despite all the responsibilities, never rush into your self-care routine. This time would help in boosting your confidence and making you fulfilled by releasing happy hormones. This, thus, would impart you with the capability to spread smiles to your baby.

Lastly, be very mindful, as ignorance might lead to long-term repercussions.