Mothers of New Babies and Toddlers

Coping

Strategies

How to cope in the first six weeks

Get a comfortable cushion or a "doughnut" to sit on.
Sit with a bag of ice between your legs to chill your hemorrhoids or the pain from your stitches (episiotomy).
Take a bath using warm water and baking soda or Epsom salts to help ease the pain and swelling from hemorrhoids or an episiotomy.
Wear a comfortable nursing bra and use nursing pads between feedings.
Wear clothing that supports your legs, breasts, and abdomen!
Take time away from baby for physical activity and relaxation.
Drink lots of fluids and eat a variety of healthy foods.
Get your partner to share in the baby’s care.
Take time for naps. You need plenty of rest.
Go to your family and friends for emotional support.
Try to get LOTS OF PHYSICAL HELP around the house.

After the first six weeks postpartum you can begin to take charge of your lifestyle!

Get Moving!
Physical activities that are part of both your daily routine and recreation will help you to feel energized.

Eat Smart!
Rate your plate and decide where you need to make choices that support a better health and body weight. If you are not happy about your weight, you are not alone. Many of us are on a diet, thinking about starting a diet, or have just stopped the latest diet fad.

Here are the risk factors for becoming overweight:

less than 15 minutes of physical activities each day
snacking on high calorie foods like cookies, chips, and candy
irregular meal times and snacking too often throughout the day
skipping breakfast
watching two or more hours of television daily
sitting for more than several hours each day (doing desk work or driving)
eating fast food meals more than once a week, and
drinking sugary drinks such as soda pop, fruit drinks, and fruit juices DAILY.

Your healthy body weight is a weight that you are able to reach and maintain without heroic lifestyle efforts.

Your healthy body weight is the weight that allows you to stay healthy and fit, and keeps your immune and reproductive systems are working well.

You will naturally achieve a healthier weight with healthy eating and a physically active lifestyle.

Encourage family members to help with baby's care.
Get emotional support from family and friends.
Take time away from baby to do things you enjoy.
Use a breast pump so you can have time away from the baby.
Choose safe, physical activities to re-energize with.
Follow the FITT principles of progression with your physical activities.
Ensure that you have a bra that gives proper support to your breasts.
Get a list of parent and child resources in your community (such as family resource centers, play groups, community centers).
Find a babysitter or childcare provider you trust. For tips on choosing the right for person for you and your baby, click here.
Drink plenty of fluids and eat a variety of healthy foods.
Get enough sleep!

Are you ready to lose weight the wise way? Take a minute to answer these questions:

Have you thought about your present eating habits and physical activities so that you know what you might change?
Are you willing to make permanent – not temporary – changes to your eating and physical activity habits?
Are you willing to lose weight slowly, at an average of one pound a week?
Are you thinking about losing weight because you really want to, or because someone else thinks you should?
Are you willing to increase your daily physical activities?
Are you willing to organize and plan your weekly food and activity choices?
If you reach a certain level of weight loss, will you still be willing and able to maintain your lifestyle changes?
Will you feel successful with a small amount of weight loss?

Getting to a healthy body weight and staying there requires you to:

understand where you can improve your lifestyle,
make a list of realistic changes that you will be able to maintain, and
make a commitment to better eating and more physical activity.

Click here for the answers to the above questions.

Stay on track!

Once you have listed the healthy lifestyle changes you plan to make, it’s time to put your plan into action. The most important thing to remember is to make changes that you can live with. Here are some tips on how to do this:

Set reasonable goals. Your doctor or dietitian can help you to make a list of reasonable goals and advise you on how quickly or slowly you should be losing weight to remain healthy.
Use the healthy eating and activity logs for Mothers in Motion to track your habits and show you where you need to make changes.
The changes you make must be ones that you can maintain. Make sure to choose physical activities and healthy foods that you really enjoy.
Be patient and lose weight slowly, rather than going on a crash diet.

Once you are on track, here are some tips to keep you moving forward:

Try new foods and new activities as often as you can - these will keep you interested and motivated.
Track your progress on a regular basis, and make note of your achievements.
Getting off track is not a failure: remember the good things you have already done for your health.
Feel proud when you meet your goals.
Don’t give up when you reach a new level! Try a different physical activity or set a new eating plan to help you get past this type of roadblock. A change can be as simple as taking a different route when you go walking or doing a new hobby that keeps you from thinking about eating.
Find yourself a partner or support person to be physically active with. They can meet you at the pool, go for an evening walk in your neighbourhood, or even share healthy recipes. The right support person will encourage you to be active more regularly and to make better choices about food – not make you feel guilty!

Be aware that the changes you make today should be changes you can live with for the rest of your life. If you can do it today, tomorrow and every day, then you are on track to a healthier life!

Congratulations on taking your first steps towards being a mother in motion!