Baby Ready: How to Nurture Yourself ... Before and After the Birth
The movie 'Bridget Jones's Baby' opens this week – let it inspire you to lighten up and look after yourself, now and when baby comes home
When that mum-to-be nesting instinct kicks in, getting the nursery – and often the whole house – ready becomes a non-negotiable priority, no matter what the cost. By all means, enjoy the anticipation that comes with impending motherhood, but don’t forget to look after you. The happier and healthier you are, the better you’ll be able to handle the radical changes the little being growing inside you is about to bring to your life – the good, the bad, and the unexpected. Nurture yourself now and when you bring baby home … and let Bridget remind you to enjoy the journey and have a laugh or two along the way.
The chances are pretty good that you know who the father of your baby is, but if you’re a first-time mum – or you’re thinking back to the last time you gave birth and aren’t that keen to go through it again – try not to worry. Stressing out will hinder rather than help you – before, during and after the birth – so do whatever it takes to relax and look forward to this time in your life with a sense of confidence – you can do this!
TIP: Warm baths (not hot), prenatal yoga and meditation are your friends in the lead-up to having a baby. Embrace them.
TIP: Warm baths (not hot), prenatal yoga and meditation are your friends in the lead-up to having a baby. Embrace them.
Take the pressure off
Getting the nursery ready is often a top priority for parents doing the countdown to the birth, but taking it too seriously can make it stressful rather than fun. Remind yourself that your bundle of joy won’t care whether it’s red, green or something in between – they just want to be fed, changed and loved.
TIP: Instead of getting caught up in the latest nursery trends, why not let your favourite childhood toys drive the design? A meaningful room is a feel-good room, after all.
16 nursery essentials
Getting the nursery ready is often a top priority for parents doing the countdown to the birth, but taking it too seriously can make it stressful rather than fun. Remind yourself that your bundle of joy won’t care whether it’s red, green or something in between – they just want to be fed, changed and loved.
TIP: Instead of getting caught up in the latest nursery trends, why not let your favourite childhood toys drive the design? A meaningful room is a feel-good room, after all.
16 nursery essentials
Please yourself
You’ll be spending many hours of your life in the nursery with your little one – whether changing nappies, clothing them, feeding them, or rocking them to sleep. Decorate the nursery in colours that soothe you – whatever you can do to make life lovelier will make the more trying times of motherhood that little bit easier.
TIP: Don’t make the mistake of holding baby using the same arm each time – the natural tendency, if you’re right handed, is to hold baby in your left arm so you can do things with your right. Alternating arms rather than putting the strain all on one side will help prevent back and shoulder problems later.
You’ll be spending many hours of your life in the nursery with your little one – whether changing nappies, clothing them, feeding them, or rocking them to sleep. Decorate the nursery in colours that soothe you – whatever you can do to make life lovelier will make the more trying times of motherhood that little bit easier.
TIP: Don’t make the mistake of holding baby using the same arm each time – the natural tendency, if you’re right handed, is to hold baby in your left arm so you can do things with your right. Alternating arms rather than putting the strain all on one side will help prevent back and shoulder problems later.
Make it last
Those early years will be over before you know it, so keep that in mind if you’re leaning towards a soft blue, yellow or pink-themed nursery. Instead, why not design a room your child will love as much in the first few years as they will when they graduate from primary school? In other words, decorate once and you’re done.
TIP: A cot that converts into a toddler bed and then a single bed is a worthwhile purchase.
10 kids’ bedroom themes that go the distance
Those early years will be over before you know it, so keep that in mind if you’re leaning towards a soft blue, yellow or pink-themed nursery. Instead, why not design a room your child will love as much in the first few years as they will when they graduate from primary school? In other words, decorate once and you’re done.
TIP: A cot that converts into a toddler bed and then a single bed is a worthwhile purchase.
10 kids’ bedroom themes that go the distance
Make an agreement with baby
Before this little miracle comes into the world, why not make a promise? You’ll love them with all that you are and do everything you can to provide everything they need to grow up to become a well-adjusted and able adult. BUT, you also promise to take care of your own needs so you can be the best mum you can be … whether that means asking for help so you can get more sleep, going to the gym every week to get those endorphins flowing, or booking a babysitter now and then so you can go to a movie with your friends. Make you-time a priority.
Before this little miracle comes into the world, why not make a promise? You’ll love them with all that you are and do everything you can to provide everything they need to grow up to become a well-adjusted and able adult. BUT, you also promise to take care of your own needs so you can be the best mum you can be … whether that means asking for help so you can get more sleep, going to the gym every week to get those endorphins flowing, or booking a babysitter now and then so you can go to a movie with your friends. Make you-time a priority.
Confide in your friends
What would we do without our closest confidantes? Just as Shazza (Sally Phillips) is someone for Bridget Jones to talk to about her dilemma in the movie, so should you lean on your friends when you need to.
What would we do without our closest confidantes? Just as Shazza (Sally Phillips) is someone for Bridget Jones to talk to about her dilemma in the movie, so should you lean on your friends when you need to.
Whether they’re already parents or not doesn’t matter – invite a friend over, sit in the kitchen and drink loads of tea, and don’t try to go this alone. And if you go through a stretch of feeling glum after the birth, it’s even more important to reach out to someone willing to lend an ear (and maybe do a load of washing or two).
Plan ahead
Some pregnancies seem to fly by, others seem like an eternal waiting game. The more you can do now to make life easier after the birth, the better. Cook meals ahead and freeze them, organise for a regular delivery of groceries or fresh fruit and veg, and consider booking a cleaning service (or increasing the frequency of the one you already have).
Some pregnancies seem to fly by, others seem like an eternal waiting game. The more you can do now to make life easier after the birth, the better. Cook meals ahead and freeze them, organise for a regular delivery of groceries or fresh fruit and veg, and consider booking a cleaning service (or increasing the frequency of the one you already have).
TIP: As much as it’s nice to accept offers of help from friends and family, if all you really want is some time alone at home to bond with your baby, don’t be afraid to say so.
Rest at every opportunity
Sleeping when your baby sleeps is an oft-given piece of advice from mothers who’ve been there and done it before. But when there are meals to cook, washing to be done, and – often – paid work to be completed, napping during the day is easier said than done. If you can’t always take time out for a sleep, at least put your feet up and rest.
TIP: A hammock hung up inside or out can be a blessing for tired parents and, best of all, babies love them too. Have your little one sit or lie on you while you swing, and enjoy some downtime together.
Browse more stories that focus on fun
Sleeping when your baby sleeps is an oft-given piece of advice from mothers who’ve been there and done it before. But when there are meals to cook, washing to be done, and – often – paid work to be completed, napping during the day is easier said than done. If you can’t always take time out for a sleep, at least put your feet up and rest.
TIP: A hammock hung up inside or out can be a blessing for tired parents and, best of all, babies love them too. Have your little one sit or lie on you while you swing, and enjoy some downtime together.
Browse more stories that focus on fun
Make time for romance
It can come as a shock for loved-up couples to realise their relationship has faded somewhat into the background when their irresistible (and demanding) bundle of joy arrives on the scene. Scheduling in some regular couple time will keep you close, and you’ll be more likely to be able to successfully work as a team when those fun-filled toddler years arrive.
It can come as a shock for loved-up couples to realise their relationship has faded somewhat into the background when their irresistible (and demanding) bundle of joy arrives on the scene. Scheduling in some regular couple time will keep you close, and you’ll be more likely to be able to successfully work as a team when those fun-filled toddler years arrive.
Save your back
If you thought pregnancy was hard on your body, you were right. But looking after a baby isn’t a picnic either, so it pays to think ergonomically when you’re getting equipped for the new addition. A change table at the right height is crucial, and if it’s positioned in such a way that you can stand at one end rather than next to it to tend to baby, your back will thank you for it.
TIP: A change table on wheels is worth considering – it can be wheeled into the bathroom at bath time to act as a stand for the baby bath. It’s much easier on your back to bathe a baby at hip height rather than having to lean down into a bath to wash them.
If you thought pregnancy was hard on your body, you were right. But looking after a baby isn’t a picnic either, so it pays to think ergonomically when you’re getting equipped for the new addition. A change table at the right height is crucial, and if it’s positioned in such a way that you can stand at one end rather than next to it to tend to baby, your back will thank you for it.
TIP: A change table on wheels is worth considering – it can be wheeled into the bathroom at bath time to act as a stand for the baby bath. It’s much easier on your back to bathe a baby at hip height rather than having to lean down into a bath to wash them.
Whether you’re feeding your newborn, enjoying some cuddle time, or trying to help them get off to sleep, a rocking chair with good support will take the ache out of your arms and ease that sore lower back. Invest in one that’s nice to look at, and it will be a chair you’re happy to live with for many years to come.
YOUR SAY
What advice would you like to have been given before you had a baby? Tell us in the Comments.
MORE
Browse more nursery photos
YOUR SAY
What advice would you like to have been given before you had a baby? Tell us in the Comments.
MORE
Browse more nursery photos
In the rom-com Bridget Jones’s Baby, out this week, Patrick Dempsey joins Oscar winners Colin Firth and Renee Zellweger in the third movie in the Bridget Jones series. Ten years have passed since we last laughed, cried and cringed with her, and this time Bridget finds herself unexpectedly expecting. But who’s the father?