Eternal tiredness, wobbly tummies and a feeling that it’s never going to end – just a few of the feelings that are common to new mums when they’re off work on maternity leave. The first few weeks are usually bright and cheerful, with dad enjoying a bit of time off too to help, and the adrenaline and excitement of welcoming a new member of the family home.
Once that begins to wear off though, it’s not uncommon to find that days seem very long and to feel really isolated from the outside world. It’s especially problematic with a first child, as parents are often unaware of what support is out there, and how to find it.
In truth, the social angle is surprisingly easy to overcome – there’s plenty of play groups and organised activities across the country. Whether it’s baby swimming classes at the leisure centre or meet ups in the nearby church hall, there’s a constant cycle of new parents to keep them going, so don’t be afraid to go and join in.
Another big life change is much harder to solve though, and that’s finding enough ‘me time’ for new mums, as babies tend to need near 24 hour supervision. A great way to overcome that is to exercise while your baby sleeps. Of course, you can’t just put them to bed and head out for a jog, but what you can do is buy home gym equipment like a cross trainer and install it at home somewhere that you can also have a moses basket or play pen to lie your child down to sleep.
Some parents worry that the noise of exercising will wake their baby, but it’s often the opposite – the repetitive sound of striding away can actually soothe them to sleep. Babies like familiarity, so anything consistent can be great! It’s also good to keep fit too – it can help to stay rational in the hard moments of parenting if you are feeling better about yourself, and of course being fitter will help with the tiredness. We’re not pretending it’s a golden solution, but it is great contributor to making life that little bit easier.
There’s plenty of alternatives to cross trainers, but keep in mind that you want to choose something that’s gentle on your body (assuming we’re talking to mum not dad that’s staying at home to look after the child), pregnancy doesn’t end with birth and result in your body going back to normal over night. That applies to muscles, bones and joints as much as it does to the wobbly tummy we referred to earlier. Post-pregnancy fitness routines need to be gradual and low impact in the early days, so don’t go too crazy – the last thing you need is an injury yourself. What’s more, if you’ve had a caesarian, be sure to talk to your aftercare team and be really clear about how long you need to wait before exercising and what you’re able to do.
We recommend cross trainers as a good way to get back into shape because they can give you a gentle start, and allow you to build up gradually. They’re then fine to use for years into the future, all for a single investment. There are a huge number of choices, so why not start at a home gym equipment review website and see what you like the look of, and how much you’ll need to spend. Before long you’ll be working up a sweat, and embarking on a daily workout to feel better, look better and regain a little more control of your daily routine throughout your maternity leave!