Just heard this in an advertisement a few days back and it really struck me…. ‘Being a mother is not a sacrifice, it is a choice!’. This one sentence is such a huge statement in itself. Its true that after becoming a mother your life completely changes, all you think is just about your child, her sleep timings, her food, her hygiene, her health. In all this you don’t even realize how much you start neglecting yourself.  

You became a mother not because you had to, but because you wanted to. After that you totally forget what you are until something reminds you or hits you bad. Why do we mothers go on a guilt trip if we are dying out of hunger and eat before feeding the baby, or don’t wake up at the first cry at 3am or if the baby leaves the last two spoons of food. I mean its ok, if you eat first, you are hungry and the baby will take an hour to eat, at least you will not get irritated out of hunger. Its ok if sometimes your husband wakes up at night to soothe the little one or you hand her over to someone else for a while and take a short nap!  

We mothers get so psyched up that if you sit back and think you’ll feel you are behaving like a crazy person. You give up on your sleep, on your diet, on your hobbies, on your outings. Your temperament goes for a toss and you still feel you are lacking somewhere. Phew!! Lot of thinking to do!!  

Being a mother is no doubt the best thing one can feel or imagine or experience but one thing which I learnt is that to nurture that little bud you don’t have to lose yourself. There are some very simple things which I would like to share with all of you which for sure I am going to practice I hope from now on; 

Sleep- sleep is a very big factor affecting your mood and health. With a new born or a toddler it is very difficult to catch on sufficient amount of sleep. But you somehow need to work on it. Your baby can stay with someone for an hour while you take a nap. Also, its not a crime if you sleep when the baby sleeps. Work is never ending and it can wait. The piling on of sleep makes you restless, irritable and of course makes you look bad which you definitely don’t want. 

Eat well- diet is something which we very easily neglect. Just eating anything does not work for women. A lady, be it working or a homemaker is on her toes till she finally can’t walk anymore. So, a proper meal accompanied by mid meals is a must. Nobody else, trust me nobody else is going to feed you all the time so you are the one who has to be careful about your food. You need to feed your baby and for that you need nutrition and energy. Just a little more veggies or eggs or grabbing a fruit while standing in the kitchen is always allowed. Don’t worry about the weight, you can always manage it. 

Exercise – Never ever give up on your exercise. Especially after you are a mom, your body undergoes so many changes, problems, health issues, that regular exercise like yoga is very important. You just don’t feel fresh but it also helps in keeping you sane. 

Friends and Outings – Don’t forget you still have friends and once in a while you can go out with them with or without your child. Don’t give up on your friends or your personal life because once you lose things you keep on losing them. Your baby is going to love going out with you and you enjoy every phase of seeing her grow. She will also experience different things with you.  Its cold or hot, nothing can touch her when you are around. 

Smile- This is the biggest mantra. After a child we say we changed as a person, we get so angry, so irritated. But what we do, reflects on our child. Try to stay calm and happy by ignoring small things around you. By turning your face towards unwanted things, by being who you are actually, by doing something that brings happiness to you. By not cribbing over everything and sometimes doing what you like.  A child who sees a happy mother always stays happy.  

I am sure everyone knows all this, but a little knock on the head is sometimes good. 

You chose to be a mother, don’t sacrifice yourself. The biggest treat or gift you can give your child is a happy YOU!

Photo by Sai De Silva on Unsplash