10 Ways To Pamper Yourself After Giving Birth
For women who have given birth to more than one child, I truly commend you on it. It’s not an easy job to have one, let alone more. So, I truly believe as a mom, you have the right to pamper yourself after giving birth. Self-care for new moms is so important!
You’ve just made a whole new human being! And welcome to the Mommy Zombie state.
If you’re over 40 and a new mom – like I was (age 41), you know it’s going to be a tough ride.
While I’ll leave the health/medical ways to take care of yourself to the experts, in this post I’ll share the FUN and soothing ways to feel better.
You’ll be dealing with sleepless, frustrating days and nights for a while.
Read how you can make this stage a bit more bearable with things to get as a new mom. Get accustomed to the new little one who’s moved into your home!
How To Pamper Yourself After Giving Birth
I remember how I felt the first few weeks after I gave birth to our son. I’ll spare you the photos of me looking like I hadn’t slept for months.
I shudder when I look at those photos from the early months of motherhood. Lack of sleep from feeding, changing and cuddling sessions every few hours took a toll on me.
No matter the support I had, I was feeling like a completely different being. Not myself at all!
There were times I just wanted to cry from exhaustion and frustration. I definitely needed some Mom Me Time!
I also felt like I was in a rut. I was ignoring doing things that are recommended for self-care for new moms. Looking at myself in the mirror, I barely recognized the woman with straggly hair.
Showering was something I did when I had enough energy to not sleep when the baby slept. The bags under my eyes were a lovely shade of blue and the wrinkles that come with my older age seemed more prominent.
10 Ways To Treat Yourself After Giving Birth
What would I have done differently to take care of myself after having a baby?
Now in hindsight, I would have done a few things to make myself feel good after having a baby.
Because after all, a happy mommy is a good thing.
The best thing is that all of these things can be done on a decent budget, so you have more to spend on the numerous diapers and other things needed for the baby.
Let me inspire some pampering and “me time” for you!
1. Escape For A Salon Visit
One of the key ways to practice self-care for new moms is to get a new haircut and colour.
A simple haircut that’s easy to maintain is ideal. Something that’s easily pinned up or pulled into a ponytail is perfect.
And for older moms with gray hair, a touch-up or fresh colour makes you feel like a completely new woman.
2. Splurge On New Makeup
One of the easiest ways to pamper yourself after giving birth is to invest in some new makeup. Do it even before you head to the hospital!
Slip it into your hospital bag, so that you look like a goddess for those first few photos.
After giving birth, even though I wasn’t going out as much as I had been before our son arrived, I wanted to look my best when I was. I may have been feeling exhausted, but I wanted to look fresh. And one thing I wanted was some fresh makeup.
I did a simple purchase of fresh powder, lipstick, and mascara to make myself feel like I was “put together.”
One of my favourites for a natural, effortless look is Nude by Nature. What’s really great about it, is that it’s made with natural, non-toxic ingredients. I recently did a review of the brandโs lipstick and wow, is it ever good.
3. Purchase Nice Underwear & Comfy New PJs
This tops my list of self-care for new moms. Your relaxation wardrobe needs to be comfortable but also functional. So you may be rockin’ the maternity, nursing bra, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need nice panties. Say bye to the stretchy, maternity underwear and hello comfy but fancier panties.
As well, you may want to get a new pajama set that’s perfect for breastfeeding and is less baggy than your old one.
4. Invest In A Fancy Coffee Mug, Coffee Container & Good Coffee
This is my favourite way to pamper yourself after having a baby. You’re going to be a Zombie Mommy, so you will need some caffeinated help.
And heck, you’re doing so much work as a mom, you deserve to have a fancy coffee ritual to enjoy at least one a day.
While it’s easier to just grab a K-Cup or instant coffee for a coffee fix, I recommend getting a good coffee to grind up.
Keep it in a fancy container and use a funny or witty coffee mug to make it a fun ritual. I like to use my Melitta Dark Roast with my pour-over coffee brewer for a daily treat.
TIP: We love the coffee from Zavida Coffee – affordable, quality and always tasting good. Sign up for the subscription online and get it sent straight to your home. No need to head to Costco for the big bags of Zavida Hazelnut Vanilla. Use my Zavida Coffee referral link and get 25% off your first order. Ships in Canada and the US.
| Related: 11 Ways Moms Keep Organized And Keep Their S*&T Together
5. Splurge On Good Handcream
You’ll be touching your baby all the time, so why not have soft hands while doing so? If it’s winter-time, dry, hand hands are inevitable.
I love using a good, natural hand cream, such as Crawford Skincare’s hand cream, with a light scent to pamper my hands.
6. Get Some Comfy Slippers
You want your toes to feel comfy, but you don’t want to slide around the house when you’re running to get a bottle of formula warmed up in the middle of the night.
I purchased Isotoner slippers for this very reason. They not only kept my toes warm but had nice soles that didn’t slide on the carpet or floors.
TIP: To save you time, get slip-on/mule slippers that will keep your feet comfortable but not require you to play around with your heel.
7. A Large, Pretty Scarf
You want to feel pretty, but also need some practical cover-up in case you need to breastfeed baby in public.
I love feminine scarves that look pretty. Blush pink is my go-to colour as it’s neutral. This kind of scarf is not only functional but a lovely accent for daily mom style.
8. Gua Sha Tool Set And Facial Oil
Trust me on this one. You’re going to need it after a few weeks of sleepless nights when your face and eye area look puffy.
Gua Sha is a facial massage practice that helps with the lymphatic system while also boosting collagen and elastin growth. You use a face oil to smooth the jade or quartz stone tool across the jawline, cheeks forehead and eye area.
Learn more about Gua Sha and my facial routine that helps me look just a bit younger.
9. A Nice Plant Or Fresh Flowers
It doesn’t have to be extravagant, but a simple, inexpensive bouquet of long-lasting flowers such as carnations can brighten up your mood.
If you want no fussing around, popular low-maintenance plants such as cactus or succulents are perfect for adding a bit of green.
10. Subscription To A Streaming Service
Long nights of feeding and soothing back to sleep mean you may have some sleepless nights. Entertain yourself with your favourite TV shows and movies.
Need some ideas for a great TV series to watch?
- Bridgerton
- Buccaneers
- Belgravia
- Sanditon
- Suits
- Shogun
- Fallout
- Game of Thrones
- Acapulco (it’s funny)
- Midsomer Murders (trust me on this, you’ll like the characters)
- McLeod’s Daughters (Aussie TV series)
Can’t fit a streaming service into your budget? I know! I know… diapers and formula are astronomically expensive. Check out Tubi and you’ll find a few of the shows I mentioned in this list above.
Don’t Ignore Self-Care For New Moms
Read up on self-care activities and try to fit them into your daily and weekly routines. I know it feels like it’s a crazy time, but you’ll be happier for it.
Ask for some “me time” and try to fit in a “do nothing” day too! Get help from your family and friends so you can get rest.
QUESTION: What do you recommend for pampering yourself after giving birth? For the moms out there, what did you do to make yourself feel normal again? Or at least, as normal as possible!
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Self care and Self love is so important, especially post-partum. This is a great list.
Love this, it’s so important for the new mamas to take care of themselves and feel good.
Yes especially to the fancy coffee. That’s something I really splurge on sometimes when I need to pamper myself.
These are such great tips! I don’t have babies yet, but hope to soon. I will be saving this for later. Thank you for sharing.
You are most welcome!
These tips are spot on! Getting out of that “mom funk” after giving birth can be rough…the self care tips will be super helpful for the new mama’s out there!
Great list! It is so important to take care of yourself. I have 4 daughters, and I know how easy it is to let your self care slip away. These are great gift ideas for a new mom.
These are all such a great ideas for a new mom,.. or really any mom. I’m going to send this to my niece who just had a baby!!
Congratulations!!! Hope she will have a nice way to enjoy some Me time!
I am due next week and I did not even think about pampering myself after…which I honestly should!!! I might actually get myself a nice set of PJs after reading this! :P
Go for it lady! You deserve it after all that effort and work to create new life! The PJs are the nicest gift. All the lack of sleep, at least youโll have a nice set of PJs. ๐
These are such great ideas and a great way to begin feeling like a human again after becoming a new mom. I have a good friend that is expecting and I think it would be great to make a little pamper basket to deliver to her with some of these goodies!
I love that idea of a pamper basket! Babies get so much but honestly in many cases cash to buy diapers/formula helps so much. But moms need a bit of love too.