I spent my days at home, hoping I could sleep and lying to my friends as they called to check on me. I was stressed, hormonal, and irritable, and I felt cooped up in my bed, unsure if I’d ever feel normal again. I figured those first weeks with the baby would be difficult, but I had no idea how difficult they would be. One thing I learnt with my second pregnancy is that knowing what to expect really helps! So here are some pointers on what you can expect as a new mom.

• It takes time to return to normalcy.

Many women are surprised to hear that they will continue to appear pregnant after giving birth. Six weeks after giving birth, many women are still not down to their pre-pregnancy weight. It will take some time. Don’t quietly judge the body—remember what it just accomplished: creating and delivering a kid! Have a good attitude to remind yourself that your body does not have to be like this for the rest of your life. Attend a stroller-cise workshop for new moms to get some fresh air (and meet new people!) while slimming down.

• It’s a loop!

Someone advises you that you will not be able to relax, because they are not misleading. For the first three weeks, the baby will feed every two hours during the day and night—and that is an ambitious estimate! You’ll hear the scream of your hungry baby waking you up just as you’re about to drift off to sleep for the third time that night. Consider the alarm clock going off every couple of hours for the next five weeks. It’s not enjoyable. So, expect this before you give birth, so you are ready to deal with it.

You may also read – Preterm baby care tips for a new mom!

• Take the small wins in life.

When our pre-kids’ lives appeared just a few months ago, adjusting to motherhood can be tough. We recall the days when we could stay up late, nap wherever we liked, and eat for as long as we wanted. It can seem almost difficult to reconcile that existence with our current one. Instead, focus on minor victories. Find quick, doable ways to integrate your previous life into your current life as a parent. Don’t be afraid to run an errand with the boy, no matter how tight the time span is—at the very least, you did it. And if you know, you’ll need to attend to her in a few minutes, make yourself a cup of tea, and savor each drink as she sleeps. Shop for cotton onesies and baby hoodies for your little one by yourself.

• Breastfeeding can get tough for a new mom.

If you plan to breastfeed, you can face a variety of difficulties, such as the baby not latching, uncomfortable feedings, or a loss of milk supply. Society portrays breastfeeding as easy, but it is often more difficult. Always have a muslin wrap handy during feeding.  If you’re having difficulty breastfeeding, it’s important to get treatment as soon as possible to avoid long-term complications. Consult a lactation nurse, the baby’s pediatrician, or the hospital care service for advice

• Embrace the confusion and be easy on yourself

Feeding and caring for a newborn baby can cause the most discomfort for many mothers. Should you breastfeed or bottle-feed your baby? Is your baby putting out enough wet diapers? Is she still alive and well? (Believe it or not, you’ll be checking your sleeping baby’s breath more often than you can imagine.) The questions go on and on, and they consume you—because, like any mother, you’re worried about your kid. Just concentrate on what matters most: feeding both the baby and yourself! When a new mom comes home with her new son or daughter, it is advisable to be optimistic about what she will accomplish. The new moms have three fundamental responsibilities: Feed their daughter, feed themselves, and bathe one of their children on occasion.

Last but not least, it’s okay if you don’t adapt to motherhood immediately. There’s now a small human that resembles you, sleeps almost all of the time, coats you with spit-up and feces, and scarcely recognizes your presence. It’s not unusual to ask why you haven’t yet formed a connection. Remind yourself that getting to know each other takes time.

Author Bio:

I am Andrea Micheal, a post-graduate in humanities and communications and an inquisitive person who loves writing. I’m working for Tiny Twig, and my forte is digital marketing and everything that has to do with phones and screens. I am someone who believes that one person can make a change, and that’s precisely why I took up writing, which is the best tool to communicate these days. I have a decade of experience in writing and marketing, and I still find myself learning new things about it, which I want to share with my readers.

Thanks for visiting our blog. I hope you liked the post and found it helpful. Please do share it further with someone who might find it helpful.

The post Life as a new mom – What to expect? appeared first on Growing With Nemit.

Hi everyone, hope you guys had a great start to the year. Here’s my 1st post of 2019 and I am starting with my New Year Resolution – My Fitness Journey. Ok, it’s not something new and I have made this resolution every year in the last decade. And I am sure you too must have done the same over the years. But there’s a problem with this resolution. Most people can’t keep up with it! After a few months or a few days, our fitness journey takes a back seat. I can see you nodding your heads, yes we all are sailing in the same boat (group hug). Sharing my story here-

There were 2 times (that I can remember clearly) when I actually put real efforts in getting fit and healthy.

One was in 2014 when I was quite unhappy with my job, I was under so much stress that I gained around 10 kgs in a span of 3 months. I left the job for my mental peace and dedicated 3 months to my fitness and weight loss. After 3 months of rigorous workout (including swimming, aerobics, and yoga), I was able to lose 8 kilos.

And the other one was in 2017 when I was again depressed, stressed and confused with my life being a stay at home mom. I wanted to do something for myself, to be independent and have a purpose in life. Alongside, I was finding it quite difficult to shed my postpartum weight and get back into shape.

In July 2017, I started blogging and spending more time sitting and writing, which further triggered the weight gain. In September, I decided to take a weight loss challenge for a month but could manage to lose only 2 Kilos in 20 days.

During both the times, I was able to reduce some weight but after a while, I stopped my routine abruptly. My mistake was to think that I could maintain the same lifestyle without following a routine.

My health took a complete dip in 2018 when I lost my furry baby Caesar in March. It was a shocking incident which led to another episode of depression. I started eating more junk as comfort food. And in no time I gained almost 10 Kgs. Even after coming out of that phase, I couldn’t go back to my old self.

At present, I am +20 Kg than my pre-pregnancy weight along with numerous health problems. This is too much! All this weight gain and health problems are not doing any good to me. In fact, these are snatching away my life from my hands. But I won’t let my bad health rule over my body and mind anymore.

This year is going to be different, I am not going to repeat the mistakes I’ve done in past.

I am going to follow a self-designed fitness plan, the one which I can happily follow. Perhaps, this journey is going to be my year-long health and fitness journey.

“Self care is giving the world the best of you, instead of what’s left of you”

I am ending this post here and I want you guys to take a minute and reflect on your life. Take time to recognize your needs. Mommies we are the nurturers, we need to take care of ourselves because there is no way to pour from an empty cup. Join me on this journey and let’s motivate each other because together we achieve more!

In my next post, read about how I am planning my fitness routine-

I spend a lot of time planning my daily routine. But have never given a thought on planning & tracking my fitness routine. This year my journey is not only a weight loss journey instead it will be an overall fitness journey including adopting a healthy lifestyle. The only thing I remember tracking was my weight. This time I’m damn serious about my well being & quite clear about my goals. Stay tuned to read more in my next post.

You can catch me on Instagram @growing_with_nemit to follow my daily fitness stories. Or you can simply stop by to say Hello. I have also joined Blogchatter’s health campaign #BlogchatterHealthWatch to keep me motivated.

The post A Mom’s Health and Fitness Journey – The Beginning appeared first on Growing With Nemit.

I have been thinking a lot lately about being healthy and shedding some extra flab and getting back into shape. ?Many new moms can relate to that thinking, dreaming to get back to their old self. So, I have decided to head back to my mom’s place for a month. And start my weight loss journey.

Well, I am the most laziest person when it comes to exercise or for that matter a 30 min walk daily. I feel maintaining a healthy weight is the toughest task for a foodie mom like me, yes I am a big one! I just can’t leave parathas or rice or ghee or junk specially on weekends. ?

Challenges I face to start a workout regime–

1- I can’t wake up early, Nemit is to be blamed here, he just don’t want to leave dudu, we are still struggling with night time weaning.

2- Even if I wake up early by 7 am, I behave like a zombie, my body aches, I keep bumping into Caesar or he keeps bumping into me, I don’t know, but it’s sure that I am never into my senses.

3- By 6 in the evening I get/feel dead tired don’t know how/why so no evening workouts or walks for me.

Now you must be thinking what’s special at mom’s place, no I mean mom’s place is always special but how can that help me in getting healthier.

– Well, there’s a sports complex very near to mom’s place that I am thinking to join.

– Mom will keep me pestering & reminding about the change I want to see in myself and why I have hijacked her place.

– Nemit will get the best company while I will sweat it out at the sports complex.

So basically this is going to be my weight loss journey, if not weight loss then at least I want to gain some stamina and improve my eating habits in this month.

I will be updating about my journey often, so that I can get dose of motivation from all you awesome people around or may be if successful can inspire some too.

Keep visiting us to get a sneak peak into what’s happening in my life…err not mine anymore!! You can also Subscribe to get updates directly in your mail.

The post My Weight Loss Journey- September Challenge appeared first on Growing With Nemit.