Rest Well! What’s rest!
We are all culprits of doing too much and not sleeping enough and not taking time out for ourselves but I have to tell you the biggest hit came to me with my first born.
Motherhood for the first time!! Well….you think it’s going to be hard having a newborn and the lack of sleep but you don’t really understand until you are doing it….!! Any new mum would vouch for me as I say this because we all fall into the same trap!
We constantly beat ourselves up about the washing that needs doing and the dishes and the vacuuming and everything that stops us from resting but all our bodies need after three night feeds and walking the floor for hours on end is a nap, a good book or a nice warm soak!
Did I do any of this as a first time mum? Well I think I had maybe two baths! Always wanted more! I think I had the occasional nap always wanted more! Didn’t read much cause there were jobs to be done and I felt guilty!
Now this eventually took its toll and my body said no more! It said to me ‘please nap when the baby does and please give me some down time’ in a way that made me stop! I became quite sick, suffered really painful red eyes, psoriasis, lack of energy and it happened that I also was lacking vitamins and minerals as I stopped taking my multivitamin after giving birth and didn’t realize (probably didn’t even think) to continue taking it while breastfeeding! The life was being sucked out of me (literally) and I wasn’t allowing my body to rest and rejuvenate and restore the lost energy!
So, please don’t learn the hard way! Please listen to your body and to me because when the baby sleeps so do you! This is vital to remaining strong – mentally and physically!
When baby is awake do all your chores then and they will enjoy watching you and being apart of it.
Allow your mind time to take in the brilliance of your newborn. Play with them, enjoy them and rest when they do!
And however you choose to rest these are some great tips I use all the time which have allowed me to cope so much better with my second baby (and now I have two so less opportunity to rest) but I am managing much better than the first time around because I am allowing myself to rest!
Rest is the best medicine for a sound mental state!
What do I do you ask?? Well…I use a special little something bought to you especially from nature called essential oils! But I don’t use any old essential oils? I use certified therapeutic grade oils that are much superior to many other oils found on the market!
So what do I do with them? I use them as a support mechanism to assist with the quality of rest or sleep I have. The oils are incredible at supporting our bodies natural processes and so including these into our rest patterns is very beneficial!
Add some lavender oil to your bath for its calming and soothing effects.
Add lavender and vetiver to your feet before sleep with some carrier oil like coconut oil. This only takes a minute and boy your sleep is much more restful.
If you are meditating use a frankincense or sandalwood or Ylang Ylang.
If you are reading a book I love some oil of a grounding blend on my wrists and neck. Like balance and sandalwood or wild orange. Take in a few deep breaths.
If I’m lying in the backyard with the kids playing on a picnic rug I’ll use lavender to calm and lemongrass to ward of the bugs and insects.
And also don’t forget to support your baby with rest also! Baby massage with some lavender or calming blend (Lavender Peace) or Roman Chamomile is a wonderful way to nurture your bub before sleep! Just gently massage the essential oil with some coconut oil into the bottoms of their feet! They will adore you for it!
So please do me a favour and rest well! The washing can wait and your self care is priority!
If you want to get your hands on some nurturing essential oils please click here.
Much love and happiness!
Tahlia xox
