As a first time mom, I came home from the hospital with visions of a beautiful baby boy sleeping wonderfully, breastfeeding easily every three to four hours, and a body that bounced back from pregnancy as quickly as the teen moms I teach.
Yeah, notsomuch.
I struggled. Breastfeeding was hard, the weight slllooowwwwllllyyyyy came off (after a year of working at it), and sleeping through the night? Yeah, that happened at about 5 1/2 months old and even then it was sporadic. Oh and toss on top of the a diagnosis of postpartum depression at six weeks post-pregnancy and you've got yourself one hell of a good time. ;)
Needless to say, I figured out early on that "me time" is extremely important in keeping this mama sane. When I was first diagnosed with PPD I'd often volunteer to run to the store, grab Taco Bell, or whatever else got me out of the house. In fact, I'd even take the long way home after browsing the entire store I stopped at. Yeah, I needed me time.
Then I got a pedicure. In all my post-partum, still swollen cankle-like glory, I sat and got an ahhhh-mazing pedicure. I felt revived.
A couple weeks later, I went in for highlights. I stood a little taller.
I enrolled in a bootcamp at seven weeks post-pregnancy...five weeks later I finished it! I felt like a new woman.
Nowadays, I get my kicks and some me time by filling the tub super full, turning on the jets, and reading a book.
Sometimes I take the time to pick those blackheads, tweeze the eyebrows, slap on a face mask, and even deep condition my hair in the tub. While my pedicures have become more infrequent (after all, an Iowa girl doesn't need a pedi in the winter people), I've learned that, for me, it's the little things - that little bit of "me time" - that keeps me sane, keeps me happy, and makes me a better mother and wife for it.
My mama must have: me time. Don't give birth without it.
Oh Libby, you hit the nail on the head! Thanks for your post, I needed to read that. Stop on over and visit Libby at ELF: A Family Blog.
