In the whirlwind of postpartum and new baby, who has time to think about things like healthy habits?
I definitely didn’t think about it. It was probably easier in the first week, to be honest, because Andrew was still at home with me and he was doing all the cooking. He was also a bit like a mother hen, making sure that I was eating lots and eating healthy foods.
And then reality hits. Andrew headed back to work, and I was home during the day with a baby. A baby who was eating every 2-3 hours on demand, changing diapers just as often, and while he slept during the day it was pretty much always on me. Eating? Sleeping? Exercise? What were those concepts?
I admit, I know that I have it easier than most. Kaiden (now 3 months old) sleeps fairly consistently through the night. He typically has one big nap during the day and little cat naps throughout. My mom comes over to help out during the week, and runs errands with me to help out. And, for the most part, Kaiden is a happy baby. It also helps that he’s a little bit older and now in a little more of a routine.
But, regardless of how much sleep you get, and how easy your baby is, one thing is for certain. You definitely don’t have as much time in the day for yourself like you used to.
In the beginning, I was sleeping when the baby slept, especially at night. I’ve never been a morning person so when Kaiden went back to sleep in the morning, so did I. But that meant that I wasn’t eating breakfast. Sometimes, I didn’t eat lunch because he was crying or sleeping on me. Not ideal. I was eating dinner because Kaiden would sleep at that time and I’d be able to make it.
So, how do you manage to stay healthy? Well, it’s kind of crazy how your routines change and how you adapt. I’m so shocked at the fact that I’m actually turning into a morning person. If Kaiden gets up at 7am, I’m usually staying up when he goes back to sleep. It does drive me a little crazy with the fact that I’m up earlier now than I’ve ever gotten up for work before. I enjoy using that time before he wakes up for the day to have a cup of tea, and create better habits (more on my habits in a different post).
I’ve kind of rambled, so how do I try and stay healthy?
Meal Prep – I try and figure out what I want to make in advance because I don’t often get to the grocery store any more. Or, it’s a little harder for me to get there. Once September comes around, I’ll be more on top of this since I’ll be back home (not at the cottage) and in charge of cooking more meals again.
Vegetables – I try and make sure that I have some kind of vegetable at dinner time. Andrew and I are growing our own, but nothing but lettuce has really come in yet. I’m becoming a little more adventurous in my cooking as well, which is nice.
Equipment -I recently just purchased a rice cooker cheap at Wal-Mart and I love it! Makes it so easy and thought-free, so now I make rice as a side for most of my meals instead of potatoes or even pasta.
I’d say sleep and exercise, but those are a little harder to come by when you have a newborn. Eventually those will get added to my schedule. I’m planning to get back to Tai Chi in September, and riding shortly after so there’s some exercise! And luckily sleep has been pretty good to me too, but that might change when Kaiden starts teething.
Any tips or suggestions for getting back on the healthy wagon with kids? Let me know!
J x
