As a new mother, you have enough to worry about without adding the stress of trying to juggle a pumping schedule. Thankfully, hands-free pumping can help make life a little easier. With a hands-free pumping bra, you can pump while continuing to go about your day. Whether you’re folding laundry, finishing up a remote work assignment, or playing with your baby.
Look for a bra that offers double-duty both for nursing and pumping to get the most bang for your buck. Shopping for a hands-free bra doesn’t have to be a hassle either. Check your favorite online marketplace when stocking up on weekly supplies, and throw a few different colors in your cart that can arrive with your order.
Stroll Through a Workout
Medical experts recommend waiting until your 6-week postnatal visit before starting or resuming high-impact exercise. Once your wellness provider has given you the all-clear, you can gradually work your way to your desired level of physical activity.
Exercise supports health and elevates mood. Work out while you’re with your little one. Grab the stroller and complete a series of strength and cardio exercises with short running periods in between.
Take Control of Stress
The state of your home can be a source of stress. Aim to keep your space as clean and organized as possible. Decluttering brings greater peace and health into your home, consequently reducing stress levels.
The nature of your job may also be stress-inducing. If you’re heading back to work, be sure that first and foremost, you are given the opportunity to pump throughout the workday. Consider discussing possible work options with your boss that afford you greater flexibility, such as an alternative schedule or remote work.
Expectant mothers commonly immerse themselves in baby books to soak up all there is to know about caring for a newborn. What many don’t realize is you have to relearn how to care for yourself, too. Self-care looks very different when you’re a new mom, but it’s every bit as essential as before, and then some. Today, Leila Justice explains how you can utilize self-care practices as you adjust to motherhood.
Drink Plenty of H2O
Adequate water intake helps to maintain a strong and healthy body. The amount you drink also affects your milk supply. Drinking too little water can slow down your milk production and prevent your baby from getting proper nourishment. Stay hydrated by consuming eight ounces of water each time you feed your baby.
Sleep Like a Baby
Sleep deprivation is somewhat of a rite of passage for new mothers. Though your slumber will be disturbed for at least the first few months of your baby’s life, you can still use strategies to increase the quantity and quality of your sleep.
Arrange for your partner to do one of the overnight feedings. You may still need to wake to express milk, but your partner can handle diaper changing, feeding, and putting the baby back to sleep so that you can catch a few extra winks.
Develop good sleep hygiene. Maintain a consistent bedtime and wake-up time. Adjust the light, temperature, and sound settings in your bedroom to allow for optimal sleep.
Resist the urge to scroll through social media on your phone just before bed. Bluelight and device stimulation can negatively impact sleep quality. Instead practice mindfulness in your new habits routine as a new mother 👩 👨🍼.
4. Acceptance: As a new mom learn to be mindful and acceptance of your new season in life stages. It help easy the responsibility in a psychological way instead of doubt your ability to stay calm and finding better solution of taking care of yourself and the new born.
Leila Justice a.k.a GratitudeQueen is focused on building positive habits and learning to rise up with confidence and high self-esteem which lead to self- actualization. Reach out today for more info!
Financial Tips for New Parents
You’ve set up the nursery, folded tiny socks and onesies, and stocked up the diaper changing station. Now, as you prepare to bring home your new baby, there are a few things you need to consider when it comes to your finances. Here, Leila Justice a.k.a GratitudeQueen gives you a few tips to put your growing family on a strong financial footing:
Start Your Own Business – Consider Refinancing If you’re not going back to your regular job after giving birth or adopting, starting a side gig from home is a good way to make some extra cash while spending time with your little one. And if you want peace of mind, consider forming a LLC to keep your personal assets separate from your business in order to protect yourself and your loved ones from liability. When you need a few hours of uninterrupted work, or if you have to meet clients outside your home, The Work at Home Woman suggests hiring an in-home nanny or babysitter part-time, or asking your support network to pitch in.
If you’re in need of startup funds for your venture, especially if you plan to work full-time at your own business, there are a number of resources available. Some entrepreneurs choose to refinance their home to drum up extra cash and put it toward all it takes to launch. Low interest rates make this a very viable option, compared with getting a small business loan. Refinancing can also lower your monthly mortgage payment and pay off the mortgage even sooner.
Update Your Health Insurance.
Once you bring your new baby home, you only have a short window of time to enroll them into your health insurance plan, usually about 30 days. If you neglect to do so, your baby may not be eligible for coverage. Start by contacting your insurance company and letting them know about your new family situation, then discuss plan options and see which one is the best and most affordable for your family. Your health insurance company will require access to your baby’s birth records, and they may also need a copy of his or her birth certificate, so make sure you have all necessary documents at the ready.
Set Up Automatic Bill Payment Bringing a newborn home is both exhilarating and exhausting. Sleep deprivation will likely cause you to forget some important stuff, like paying bills on time. So take advantage of automatic bill-paying options for all your recurring expenses. You can easily set up automatic payments with your bank, where money will be deducted directly from your account. Or you can pay bills automatically using your credit card, which presents two main advantage Finder notes that you’ll be able to detect and reverse fraudulent charges without too much hassle, and you can even get cashback as a reward for using your card.
Start an Emergency Savings Fund. If you haven’t done so already, make sure you open an emergency savings account where you’ll have enough money stashed away to cover expenses for three to six months in case you lose your job, you suddenly need costly medical care, or a catastrophic event prevents you from earning a living. If you already have an emergency fund in place, increase its amount to account for the extra expenses that come with having a baby as part of your household. Setting up automatic transfers directly from your paycheck into your emergency fund will eliminate the temptation to spend that money on something else.
Keep Saving for Retirement Experts agree that if you can’t financially do both, prioritizing saving money for your retirement is much wiser than starting a college fund for your newborn. While college-bound kids can get financial help through scholarships, grants, and loans, not putting money aside for your golden years will force you to rely solely on social security benefits, and you may even end up having to get help from your children or other relatives for your everyday expenses. So make sure you plan for your future first, and you won’t have to struggle financially after you retire.
Taking care of your finances while caring for a newborn can be very daunting, especially when you’re sleep-deprived. But you can take advantage of refinancing, insurance, and automatic payment options to help you out. And don’t forget to secure your own financial future when investing your money.
Did you know that millions of people in the United States alone suffer from anxiety? Living with a mental disorder is difficult enough for adults, and as a parent or teenager, it can be even more challenging. That’s why it’s important for you to become aware of any symptoms that your teenager might be experiencing and do everything you can to help them manage stress so they don’t fall into an anxiety-related disorder. Today, GratitudeQueen shares some favorite ways to build confidence and reduce stress.
Going Back to School Online degree programs and mini course can help you learn new skills in fields like accounting, criminal justice, social work, and much more. An online program gives you the flexibility to balance your career, your kids, and school. And if you enroll in a teaching program, you’ll be able to pursue a degree that allows you to give back to the community.
Getting Fit Whether you’re taking a martial arts class, joining the school football team, or hitting the gym, taking on a new fitness routine that will increase your confidence is sure to help reduce stress.
Changing Your Look
Sometimes splurging on a new outfit, a new skincare line or even the latest luxe lip brand can go a long way in offering a fun confidence-boost.
Confide in a Friend.
Instead of keeping problems bottled up inside, Mellowed notes that confiding in a friend can be an effective way to relieve stress and learn how to deal with it. You may be surprised by how much insight friends or family might have!
Learning a New Skill. If you’ve always been interested in learning something like photography or even playing the guitar, now is as good of a time as any! Whether it’s an online course or taking lessons at your local community center, picking up a new hobby can help occupy your mind and make you feel more productive.
Learning to Manage Your Finances.
There’s no better time than now to learn about money management, investing, credit cards, and other financial literacy topics. Money is one of the most common sources of stress and anxiety. Making sure you’ve in the best possible financial situation can help to reduce stress. Plus, as a parent, you can start reaching your kids about money management from an early age!
Involving Yourself in a Personal Passion Project.
Getting involved with something you love can be extremely satisfying. If you’re interested in making money from your passion project, Oberlo explains that there are several tools online that will help you make it happen
Get a Job: Finding a job and earning an income are great ways to build confidence, prove your independence, and improve how you handle stress. Plus, working gives kids the opportunity to develop new skills and helps teach them responsibility.
Asking for Help: It’s never easy to ask for help when it comes to dealing with depression, but modeling that kind of maturity is one of the best things you can do as a parent. Also, these days, the internet has greatly streamlined the mental health process. In fact, finding affordable depression medication can be done in moments from the privacy and safety of the home, and when used in conjunction with other positive activities outlined here, it can make a huge difference!
Deal with Anxiety Before It Becomes Unmanageable Teenagers and parents are often under a lot of stress. This article discusses some of our favorite ways parents and teenagers alike can reduce stress and build confidence, including self-improvement by going back to school, starting a fitness routine, confiding in friends, or just simply picking up a new hobby such as photography. Avoid letting your stress levels build up; instead, find a positive way to reduce them by channeling your own talents and creativity!
GratitudeQueen passionate about Personal Development which is about building positive habits and learning to rise up with Confidence and high self Esteem which lead to Self-Actualization. If you have any questions or comments, don’t hesitate to reach out!
To be become a kinder, more loving individual requires action. Yet ironically, there is nothing specific you have to do; no prescription to follow, rather, most genuine acts of kindness and generosity seem natural. They seem from a type of thinking where services and giving have integrated into the person’s thought process.
Several teachers and philosophers that I have learnt from have suggested that I begin my day by asking myself this question, ‘How can I be of service?’ I have found this to be useful in reminding me of the multitude of ways that I can be helpful to others without hurting myself. when I take the time to ask this question, I find answers popping up all day long.
If one of our goals is to be of help to others, we will find the most appropriate ways to do things for others. Our chance to be of service is endless. Sometimes the best way that we could be of service is to maybe offer our home to a friend, even some ‘thoroughly screened’ strangers in need. Other time, it’s to give our seat to the elderly person on the train, help a youngster across the monkey bar, speak to a group of people , write a check to charity, or pick up litters on the road, the key, I believe, is to remember that being of service isn’t a one time efforts. it’s not doing something nice for someone and then wondering they aren’t being nice too, or doing this for us. Instead, a life of service is a lifelong process, a way of thinking about life. Ask yourself, does the trash need to be taking out? if so, go ahead and take it out even if it’s not your turn. Is someone you know being difficult? Maybe they need a hug or someone to listen to them. Are you aware of any charity organization that needs more help, could you possibly give a little extra this month?
I learnt that the best way to be of service is often very simple, it’s those little, quite, often unnoticed act of kindness that we choose on a daily basis, like being supportive of a new endeavor by our spouse or simply taking the time and energy to listen.
I know that I have a long way to go towards my goal of becoming a more selfless person. However, I also know that as I have attempted to integrate services into my life , I have felt better, and better about the way I choose to live.
There is an ancient saying that goes thus,” Giving has its own reward.” it’s really true, when you give, you also receive. In fact, what you receive might be totally different compared to what you give. As you give more freely of yourself in your own ways, you will experience more feelings of peace than you ever thought possible. And at the end, everyone wins.
Follow the Good and keep smiling. Kindly like, share, follow and comment.
Leila Justice a.k.a GratitudeYouth Advisor 