Why inner child healing matters for mums

Discover how healing your inner child can help you become the best parent you can be, break generational patterns, and enhance emotional balance for your entire family.

We all carry stories from our childhood, some joyful, others painful. For many mums, these emotional wounds from the past don’t just affect us; they influence how we parent our children. These wounds can manifest as mum guilt, difficulty staying calm during tantrums, anxiety about “getting it right,” or struggling to set healthy boundaries with our little ones. Often, they trace back to unmet needs during our own early development.

That’s where reparenting comes in. Reparenting is giving yourself the care, support, and guidance you may not have received as a child—so you can break generational cycles and parent from a place of healing. It’s a powerful act of self-love, a vital step toward lasting emotional wellness and becoming the mother you want to be. In this article, we’ll explore what reparenting is, why it’s so important for mothers, and how to start this healing journey while raising your children.

What does it mean to re-parent yourself as a mother?

Re-parenting yourself means becoming the nurturing, supportive, and protective figure your younger self needed, while simultaneously nurturing your own children. Instead of unconsciously passing on old patterns, you step in and offer yourself:

Emotional validation
Safety and stability
Boundaries and discipline
Unconditional love and compassion

You’re essentially healing your inner child, which is that part of you still holding onto pain, fear, or unmet emotional needs from the past, so you can parent your children from a place of wholeness rather than wounding.

Why re-parenting is vital for mothers’ mental health

1. It heals unmet childhood needs (so you don’t project them)

Many mums never learned how to self-soothe, trust themselves, or speak up for their needs. When your toddler has a meltdown, your own inner child might feel triggered. Re-parenting fills those gaps.

According to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, early childhood adversity increases the risk for mental health disorders, including depression and anxiety, later in life, and can affect parenting styles.

Re-parenting helps rewrite those internal narratives: “I’m not a good enough mum,” “I don’t matter compared to my kids,” or “My feelings are too much.”

2. It builds emotional regulation (for you and your children)

When we weren’t taught how to manage emotions healthily, we may find ourselves yelling at our kids or feeling overwhelmed by their big feelings. Through re-parenting, mothers learn how to:

Recognise and name emotions (yours and theirs)
Respond instead of reacting during challenging parenting moments
Self-soothe during stressful times (like bedtime battles or public tantrums)

These skills become the foundation you model for your children.

3. It strengthens your identity beyond “Mum”

If you didn’t receive affirmation or encouragement growing up, your self-worth may depend entirely on being the “perfect mother.” Re-parenting teaches you how to speak kindly to yourself, celebrate your efforts, and affirm your value, both as a mother AND as an individual.

4. It creates healthier family dynamics

Unhealed childhood wounds often play out in how we parent. You may become overprotective, struggle with consistency, or find yourself repeating phrases your parents said. Re-parenting helps you:

Set and honour boundaries with your children (and extended family)
Communicate needs clearly to your partner
Build trust in yourself as a capable parent

When you learn to meet your own emotional needs, you stop expecting your children or partner to fill emotional voids.

Signs you may need re-parenting as a mother

You struggle with mum guilt or feel you’re “never doing enough”
You often criticise or shame yourself about your parenting
You seek validation from other mums or social media
You fear “messing up” your kids
You feel emotionally triggered by your children’s behaviour
You notice yourself repeating patterns from your own childhood

These signs suggest that part of your emotional development may need gentle attention and support for both your sake and your children’s.

How to begin re-parenting yourself while parenting

Re-parenting is a daily practice that can happen alongside raising your children. It’s not about blaming your parents—it’s about taking responsibility for breaking cycles today.

Here are simple steps to start:

1. Connect with your inner child (during quiet moments)

During naptime or after bedtime, visualise yourself as a child. What did you look like? What were you feeling? What were you missing?

Spend time “with” this version of yourself. You can write letters to them, draw pictures, or talk to them gently in your mind.

Example: “I see you. I know you’re scared. I’m here now, and I’ll protect you, just like I protect my baby.”

2. Journal about your needs (not just your kids’)

Ask yourself:

What do I need today as a person, not just as a mum?
What would help me feel safe and supported?
What am I feeling, and why?

Writing helps you become more aware of your emotional world, which enables you to stay regulated when your children need you.

3. Create and respect boundaries (with kids and family)

Boundaries are a key part of re-parenting and healthy parenting. They help you feel safe and respected, and teach your children the same.

Start by saying no to what drains you (like unnecessary playdates) and yes to what nourishes you (like that morning coffee in peace). Remember: setting limits teaches your children self-respect by example.

4. Practice gentle self-talk (especially on hard days)

If your inner voice is harsh or critical about your parenting, it’s time to re-parent that voice. Begin speaking to yourself like you would to a fellow mom who’s trying her best.

Replace “I’m such a terrible mother” with:
“I’m learning, and that’s okay.”u
“I made a mistake, but I’m still a good mm.”

5. Prioritise consistent self-care (yes, even with little ones)

Re-parenting involves creating a routine that includes rest, nutrition, movement, and play, even in 5-minute increments. It teaches your inner child: “You matter enough to be cared for,” while modelling self-care for your children.

A study in BMC Psychiatry (2020) found that adults with consistent self-care practices had lower levels of anxiety and depression.

Even small acts, such as drinking water or stepping outside for fresh air, build trust in yourself.

6. Try creative expression (with or without your kids)

Drawing, painting, dancing, or singing can help you reconnect with your inner child. Do it alongside your children for double healing – they play, you heal.

You don’t need to be “good” at it – just present.

7. Consider therapy or support groups

Working with a therapist, especially one trained in maternal mental health, inner child work, IFS (Internal Family Systems), or trauma-informed care, can help you explore deeper emotional wounds while navigating motherhood. Many therapists offer virtual sessions, which are perfect for busy moms.

Real-life example: Jasmine’s story

Jasmine, 35, mother of two, spent her life chasing perfection, especially in her parenting. She feared failure and constantly compared herself to other mums. Through therapy, she realised her inner child never felt accepted unless she was achieving something.

She began journaling to her younger self during naptime, practising affirmations, and accepting that “good enough” parenting was actually great parenting.

“I used to think love had to be earned for me and from my kids,” Jasmine said. “Now I know I can give it to myself, and that makes me a calmer, more present mother.”

Final thoughts

Re-parenting yourself as a mother is one of the most healing and empowering journeys you can take for you AND your children. It helps you feel grounded, worthy, and emotionally whole, which naturally flows into your parenting.

You become the safe space you always needed and the safe space your children need. You learn to care for your emotional wounds with gentleness instead of judgment, breaking cycles that may have existed for generations.

Healing doesn’t mean forgetting the past; it means giving yourself what was missing and creating a more compassionate future for your entire family.

“You can’t go back and change your childhood, but you can create the care and love you always deserve – and pass that healing on to your children, starting now.”

References

National Child Traumatic Stress Network. (2021). Effects of Complex Trauma. https://www.nctsn.org
Keles, B., McCrae, N., & Grealish, A. (2020). The impact of self-care on mental health in adults: A review. BMC Psychiatry, 20(1), 1–14.

*Collaborative feature post*

The power of parent community support groups to boost mental health

Sponsored by Graco UK • Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week – the theme is parent community

I have four kids and four daily drop-offs, which leaves me approximately 12 minutes per day (well, actually, four hours) to run a business, get fit, and maintain some form of mental sanity. However, something usually gives, and it tends to be me.

I swapped my secure, predictable and painfully tedious legal career for a life promising more flexibility and freedom. And while I wonder whether I’ve just exchanged one boss for four smaller, more demanding ones, I still wouldn’t trade it for the world – even if my ‘office’ is wherever I can find space in the house amongst the constant sea of noise. For proof of the beloved craziness, click here.

What people rarely mention about going freelance or starting your own business, especially as a parent, is the loneliness that often accompanies it. It’s the “am I the only one drowning in invoices while living in a sea of mess?” feeling. It’s the anxiety spike when your toddler’s nursery calls mid-meeting (again) and says she’s coughed and now needs to come home. (Cancel that PM meeting – again!) It’s the partner calling to say he’s going to be late again, and now you have to figure out how to manage four pick-ups, two deadlines, cook meals, keep the house manageable, and deal with clients who are rightfully chasing for their work.

The ONS says that 27% of UK adults feel lonely “always, often or some of the time”. Among small-business owners, 56% report poor mental health, with anxiety and isolation topping the charts.

Since 2020, about one in four self-employed Brits joined the hustling game and the headcount of self-employed mums jumped 9% to 601,000 in 2023 alone. It turned out that conventional jobs still didn’t align with the school run and nearly 1 in 5 UK mums quit or considered quitting employment altogether because the childcare/work maths just wasn’t mathing.

In our recent Hand2Hold survey (to be published soon as a study), over a quarter of parents reported feeling isolated, and 85.9% of mothers stated that quick access to mental health and community support was their top priority.

So it turns out, I’m not alone.

The good news? A parent community can fix or at least minimise a lot of the isolation and anxiety us parent entrepreneurs feel almost daily.

You can’t build something incredible entirely on your own. You need community. You need people who understand why you’re typing with one hand and nursing a baby with the other – why you’re staring at an email repeatedly, but your brain says nope because your child has woken up again for the nth time that night.

A parent community isn’t just nice to have—it’s a lifeline for most of us. And in this article, we will unpack why:

There is a surge in parents turning to self-employment, yet feeling more isolated than ever
How a parent community can be one of the biggest pillars of support to combat loneliness and overwhelm
How campaigns like Graco’s focus on Maternal Health Week (5-11 May) and Mental Health Awareness (12-18 May, theme: Community) spotlights exactly why these support circles matter
Simple ways you can join or even create your parent tribe today, plus how to join the conversation on @graco_uk all month and share your story with #maternalmentalhealthmatters

So, grab your (probably reheated) coffee and let’s dive in!

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A post shared by Leyla / Motherhood Diaries (@motherhooddiaries)

The ‘Parentpreneur’ boom—why half the country now works from the kitchen table

Remote and hybrid work have become incredibly common – in fact 44% of UK workers now either work from home or do a mix of home and office.

And among these, a huge number are parents who’ve traded commutes for the convenience of home. Whether it’s freelancing during nap time or running an Etsy shop after the school run, the “parentpreneur” movement is in full swing now, so much so, my business partner and I have started a new YouTube channel called TechTalksZone where we review AI and tech tools that enhance productivity for parent entrepreneurs. Post-pandemic, many mums and dads realised they could balance career ambitions with family life – as long as they had flexibility (and a steady supply of caffeine). It’s no wonder nearly half the country’s workforce is working from the kitchen table in one way or another, redefining what a “home office” looks like in 2025.

Working mums are turning side-hustles into full-time gigs too. In the last year alone, the number of “side hustlers” in Britain jumped 20% (to about 460,000), and mums accounted for 21% of those side businesses (up 8% since the year before). The dads are in on it as well – while exact figures for fathers aren’t singled out in this stat, overall self-employment is rising across the board, hitting 4.4 million self-employed Brits by late 2024. The reasons vary: some parents were pushed out by a tough job market or the cost-of-living crunch, others were pulled by the allure of being their own boss. But the trend is clear – parentpreneurs are becoming a formidable part of the economy.

The power of parent community

I’m glad I found this group!

When I first dove into self-employment, a part of me felt relieved that I didn’t have to take the tube or face my boss anymore. However, panic soon set in when I realised I also had to work to get paid – no more regular monthly income, sick pay or annual holidays. Yes, finally I had flexibility, but suddenly I also felt isolation and anxiety. However, throughout my 14 years as a blogger, I’ve genuinely never experienced a more supportive and uplifting community than the one formed by parent bloggers.

Recently, I’ve been actively trying to minimise my time using Facebook groups for solace, especially as WhatsApp became the main channel for client communication. It got me thinking: Why not create a dedicated WhatsApp community specifically for bloggers, particularly parents juggling the relentless demands of work and family life? And thus, the Built for Blogging Community—affectionately known as BBC—was born.

BBC now proudly hosts a tight-knit yet thriving group of around 60 passionate community members, with 21 active chats, spanning topics from general blogger advice to niche support like our ‘Neurospicy Talk’ group. Here, parents openly discuss managing their own neurodiverse minds—or those of their kids—which adds an extra layer of complexity (and sometimes creativity!) to our already chaotic days.

Since launching BBC, the community has buzzed daily with vibrant discussions, sharing invaluable productivity hacks, practical tips on balancing childcare alongside growing businesses, and genuine emotional support on tougher days.

“This group is amazing. I’m glad I found it—I keep telling my husband how grateful I am!”

It wasn’t just a passing comment; it was in response to discovering a new SEO tool shared within our chat, something that significantly boosted her blog traffic. It’s practical, supportive, and exactly why community matters so much.

Then there was the parent who charmingly joked that her toddler was her unofficial “quality control manager” for testing homemade cupcake recipes. Instead of raised eyebrows, the group responded enthusiastically with recipe tweaks and promotion strategies—after all, who better to understand juggling intricate blog work with Peppa Pig blaring in the background than fellow parent entrepreneurs?

These interactions are daily proof that this isn’t merely an online group—it’s a lifeline. Another mum confided during a particularly tough week:

“Hey, sorry for the non-bloggy chat but I’m really struggling…I don’t really know who else I can talk to.”

The response was instant and heartfelt:

“Chat away we’re all here…You’ve got a lot going on. Be kind to yourself.”

Some parents are suffering real life-altering challenges and sometimes a parent community outlet is all they have:

I live in a foreign country where I just about get by day to day with the language barriers. I have one person who I would call a friend locally. This community has given me a group of people, where I may not always have something to say but feel I am in the conversation. Its brought life back to me if that makes sense. When I do have something to say or a problem with blogging or another side hustle, they are always supportive and uplifting.

chillingwithlucas.com

I’m a single parent who has not got many options for childcare so most evenings once my child is asleep I am home alone and turn to the online community for a chat. What often starts as a discussion about a work related topic ends up being a group chat which becomes a huge part of your life. I’m glad that I’m part of supportive and motivational communities because instead of idle gossip and black hole doom scrolling of social media, we are all productive and have crafted feasible opportunities to turn our hobbies and passions into ways to earn additional income. My biggest cheerleaders are the online community.

arloriverrex.com

This community has helped me through the toughest of times. I’ve met some ladies who I can turn to no matter what and have helped me through the darkest of times – my dad died the day after my second child was born and a group of them were there for me, even miles away, to be a shoulder to cry on and they bought us takeaways and vouchers for ready meals just to take some of the stress off as well as buying something for my oldest who was going through such a mix of emotions at the time and didn’t know how to deal with them. Most of my closest friends are people I’ve met through blogging; some I see often and some I’ve actually never met IRL but I wouldn’t be without them.

www.ialwaysbelievedinfutures.com

A small group of my now best friends are from blogging. They’ve been there through my lonely times and hard times, we can talk about anything and the support is there. We don’t talk every day but when we do it’s right from where we left off. I don’t know where I would be without them over the last few years x

www.staceyinthesticks.com

I started my blog when my daughter was just about to leave primary school and I felt sort of redundant as no more school runs etc. then first term into her new secondary school she became ill with a chronic illness. This gave me a lifeline as she became bedbound. I found a great community and made new friends on here as we navigated a new life. It gave me the chance also to share the real story of living with a chronic illness. Then Feb this year my husband suddenly collapsed and died with no warning. I would be totally lost without the support of both my blogging friends and also readers.

stressedmum.co.uk

These friendships and interactions may be digital, but their impact on mental health and daily wellbeing is profoundly real. According to recent research by the Mental Health Foundation, community support directly reduces anxiety and can significantly lessen symptoms of depression. Given that nearly half (49%) of UK freelancers regularly experience loneliness and isolation (IPSE, 2023), communities like ours aren’t just nice-to-haves—they’re essential.

Why a parent community equals sanity (Graco knows it too!)

The Mental Health Foundation highlights that our connections to others play a pivotal role in safeguarding mental health, something we instinctively know within our BBC circles. In fact, research consistently shows that community support significantly reduces anxiety and symptoms of depression (Mental Health Foundation, 2023).

This May, Graco’s dedicated campaign perfectly highlights why community support is crucial for parental wellbeing. Graco is actively supporting Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week (5–11 May) and Mental Health Awareness Week (12–18 May), whose theme this year is ‘Community’. Their focus mirrors what we parent bloggers know all too well—that parenting was never meant to be done alone. It genuinely takes a village—virtual or otherwise—to support the wellbeing of parents navigating life’s daily challenges.

Graco is also proudly partnering with organisations like PANDAS Foundation, the UK’s leading Postnatal Depression (PND) awareness and support charity. PANDAS provides vital services like their dedicated helpline and WhatsApp chat (available daily from 8am to 10pm UK time) to support parents experiencing anxiety, depression, or overwhelm. Their work underlines why accessible mental health resources and community networks matter enormously in safeguarding parental mental health.

From my experience in our Built for Blogging Community, having reliable support networks transforms how parents manage day-to-day stressors. The small things—like getting quick reassurance when your toddler interrupts a client call, or practical advice for handling a particularly difficult parenting day—are often what keeps us going.

When Graco reached out to me, they emphasised a crucial question:

“What does community really mean to you, and how does the blogger space enhance this?”

For me, community means having a judgement-free zone, full of parents who completely understand the intricacies of trying to maintain a professional identity alongside parenting. The blogging space uniquely supports this because it naturally fosters connection and genuine empathy. Bloggers don’t just share advice; they share vulnerability, struggles, and heartfelt encouragement, creating real bonds despite physical distance.

Over the years, through my blog and now the BBC, I’ve witnessed firsthand how powerful these connections can be. I’ve seen members pull each other out of isolation, share resources that genuinely boost productivity, and offer emotional support during deeply personal hardships. Our community is proof that digital spaces can meaningfully combat loneliness, making parent entrepreneurship sustainable and fulfilling.

What Graco’s campaign means for you

This May, Graco invites you to join the conversation. They’re running expert-led discussions and sharing inspiring parent stories over on their Instagram account @graco_uk. Throughout the month, Graco aims to amplify parent voices and experiences, reminding us that community connection is vital to mental health and overall wellbeing.

You’re invited to:

Follow @graco_uk on Instagram for expert tips, and insightful conversations around community support.
Follow @motherhooddiaries on Instagram too as we’ll be sharing their stories on our space too.
Check out The Graco Village for tips on and links to helpful articles to experts and resources
Share your own story using #maternalmentalhealthmatters to connect with others and reinforce that no parent is alone in this journey.

Simple ways to join or create your own parent tribe

So, feeling inspired to tap into the power of community? Good—because if you take just one thing away from this article, let it be this:

You don’t have to do this alone.

Here’s how you can find—or build—your own parent support network:

Jump into existing online groups

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel (we’re too tired for that anyway). Platforms like Facebook still host brilliant parent blogger groups, but WhatsApp communities are really where it’s at now.

With WhatsApp Communities rolled out across the UK, it has never been easier to stay connected 24/7, straight from your phone. No logging into a portal, no endless refreshing—just real conversations, real quick.

This is exactly how our Built for Blogging Community kicked off—one WhatsApp message at a time. Fast forward and we’re a buzzing hive of productivity tips, pep talks, and the occasional “I need to lie down in a dark room” check-ins.

Attend virtual events — or even real-life ones!

Not every brilliant conversation happens in a group chat (even though, yes, our memes are pretty epic). Sometimes, the best inspiration comes from hearing real experts share their stories—live, unfiltered, and from the heart.

Charities like the PANDAS Foundation offer brilliant virtual support groups, Zoom calls, and even WhatsApp peer circles for parents navigating anxiety, postnatal depression, or just… life. It’s real support, without the need to find childcare or put on real trousers. Bliss.

Also, if you’re feeling brave and can make it, real-life events can be just as amazing, if not more so.

Recently, I stepped out from behind the screen and attended the Women in Tech SEO Festival and Tech Show London 2025—and honestly, it was mind-blowing.

Meeting like-minded people in real life reminded me that even though we live in a hyper-digital world, nothing replaces genuine human connection. The smiles, the shared laughs over imposter syndrome, the spontaneous brainstorms over fabulous food—it reignited my creativity and drive in a way that a thousand webinars just can’t.

If you ever get the chance to attend a local parenting event, blogger meet-up, tech show, SEO festival (or even a casual coffee morning at the community centre) grab it! It might feel intimidating at first and you might overthink your outfit. But trust me. One real-world chat can lead to a hundred new opportunities—and a few lifelong friends.

Create your own tribe

Can’t find a group that feels like “your people”? Then start your own!

All it takes is one group chat—on WhatsApp, Slack, Discord, wherever you fancy—and a few parents who are craving connection just like you. (There are always parents craving connection.)

When I created the Built for Blogging Community, it wasn’t polished or perfect—it was real. And that’s what made it powerful. Trust yourself. You’ll be surprised who turns up when you open the door.

Explore local interest groups

And for those days when even WhatsApp can’t quite scratch the human connection itch, look local.

Libraries, children’s centres, and local “What’s On” guides often list meet-ups like baby sensory classes, dads’ pram walks, toddler forest schools—you name it. These real-world spaces offer connection and an excuse to get out of the house without needing to put on full makeup. (Win-win.)

FAQs about parent communities

What is a parent community?

A parent community is a support network where parents share experiences, advice, and emotional support through online platforms or local groups.

Why is community involvement important for parent mental health?

Community involvement significantly reduces feelings of isolation and anxiety, providing emotional support and practical advice crucial for mental wellbeing.

How can parents get involved in a community?

Parents can join existing online groups, attend local or virtual events, start their own community networks, or engage with charity support groups like PANDAS Foundation.

What are some recommended parent support resources?

Key resources include Built for Blogging, PANDAS Foundation, local council family groups, NHS Start4Life, The Graco Village, and Graco’s Instagram (@graco_uk).

Where can parents find immediate support in crisis situations?

For urgent support, parents can contact the Parent Stress Line, PANDAS Foundation helpline, or their local health services.

Final thoughts

Parenting, freelancing, entrepreneurship and blogging are undeniably challenging—but when you have a community behind you, you’re never truly walking the tightrope alone.

It really does take a village to raise a parent. Whether that’s through WhatsApp chats with fellow bloggers at 3a.m., a supportive postnatal helpline like PANDAS Foundation, or tuning in to real talk from brands like Graco who genuinely champion parental wellbeing—community isn’t a luxury. It’s a lifeline. It’s essential.

This May, during Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week (5–11 May) and Mental Health Awareness Week (12–18 May), Graco is shining a spotlight on how vital community is to our wellbeing as parents. They’re partnering with brilliant organisations like PANDAS to open up honest conversations about mental health, connection, and support—and you’re invited to join.

Here’s how you can get involved:

Follow @graco_uk on Instagram for expert-led discussions, inspiring parent stories, and practical tips throughout the month.
Please share your own story using #maternalmentalhealthmatters and show others they’re never alone.
Check out The Graco Village, Graco’s blog all about helping parents feel seen and understood
Explore charities like PANDAS Foundation for mental health support, whether you need it today or simply want to know help is there if you ever do.
Join communities like Built for Blogging or create your own tribe—because sometimes the first step to feeling better is finding your people.

You can be smashing deadlines, managing tantrums, dreaming up blog posts, making orders and still need someone to remind you—you’ve got this.

And you really do.

Sponsored by Graco

9 natural remedies for postpartum depression

Having a baby is a wonderful, life-changing event, but it comes with a huge learning curve and a whole heap of emotions. If you’re feeling constantly down and you can’t shake it off, you will need to seek treatment from a professional to feel better. But there are natural remedies for postpartum depression that can help with the recovery process.

In this article, we will go through the nine ways to care for postpartum depression with natural treatments that can be accessed easily and affordably, so you can continue to look after your newborn and take care of your physical and mental health too (because you count as well, don’t forget that while you’re knee deep in nappies and mess!)

The baby blues vs postpartum depression

Amid the newborn cuddles, you’re feeling anxious, tired and fed up, with fluctuating mood swings that could rival any major roller coaster. Baby blues are quite common after birth and are mostly down to the peaks and troughs of hormones and broken sleep. It’s normal to feel down, especially if you’ve experienced birth trauma and you’re struggling to feed your newborn while dealing with uncomfortable lochia. But how do you know if the baby blues are a more serious case of postpartum depression?

Baby blues happen two to three days after birth and the postpartum period should subside after a couple of weeks, but postpartum depression sticks around for up to a year or longer if left untreated and can lead to postpartum psychosis, which is a serious mental illness. National data shows that 1 in 10 women each year suffer from postpartum depression and without support, these symptoms may impact you, your family and your baby. Postpartum depression cannot be treated alone, but with the right help, most sufferers can make a full recovery. If you are ready to seek help, reach out to residential mental health services in Florida to learn more about what kind of treatment is available.

What causes postpartum depression?

There can be several causes of postpartum depression, but it may be difficult to pin it down to one distinct cause because there isn’t a singular test for depression. Some factors can include:

A difficult pregnancy
A stressful/negative event that’s happened, like loss, domestic violence or illness
A difficult/stressful childbirth and problems with baby
Unplanned/unwanted pregnancy
Lack of support
Substance abuse
Chemical imbalance in the brain

Postpartum depression symptoms

As mentioned before, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all symptom that makes it clear you are suffering from postpartum depression, but some depression signs can include:

Severe mood swings, I.e. feeling angry one moment and then sad the other – but not feeling any joy
Extreme fatigue – unable to bring yourself to do anything because you’re too tired, but you can’t sleep
Severe change in appetite
No interest in activities which you’d normally enjoy
Feeling withdrawn from people around you – unable to socialise
Low self-worth
Having thoughts about hurting yourself or the baby
Rejecting the baby
Persistent physical problems, like tummy ache or headache

How does postpartum depression affect the infant?

One study found that postnatal depression has negative consequences for both mum and baby up to three years because of the impact on interaction with the baby. Depressed women are caught in a vicious cycle of becoming sadder and angrier, which means their personal development as well as child development is effected. The health of the mother is associated with the health of the child, both indirectly and directly.

How is postpartum depression typically treated?

Understanding why you have postpartum depression is the key to treatment, resulting in a full recovery, although it can take time. There are three main types of treatment which are:

Self help – this involves talking to family and friends about feelings and taking the time to do the things you enjoy
Psychological therapy – this involves a GP referring you to a self-help course or therapy, including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
Antidepressants if your depression is more severe or the other two treatments haven’t helped

Your GP can go through the pros and cons of each treatment, but in this article, we will concentrate on the self-help aspect of treatment which you can do at home.

What will happen if postpartum depression is left untreated?

In some cases, mild postpartum depression can go away on its own or if treated via self-help or psychological therapy. But more severe postpartum depression cases require treatment and if left untreated can continue for a long time or become more serious and impact mum and family.

Can natural remedies help? Nine natural remedies for postpartum depression

As mentioned before, postpartum depression needs to be treated professionally, but there are ways to help ease symptoms. Here are nine tips on how to ease symptoms of postpartum depression with natural treatments.

Keep your immediate living area organised
‘Me’ time is achievable and important
Take care of what you eat
Get some form of exercise in daily
Fresh air does wonders
Watch your lifestyle
Surround yourself with a support network
Get your sleep where and when you can
Get professional help (including complementary and alternative medicine)

1. Keep your living area organised

This may not have been a remedy you would have considered because, let’s face it, who has time to do the dishes when you’re feeding around the clock and living on broken sleep? But, in an otherwise turbulent environment, regaining order, however small, will help you feel you’re more in control of what’s going on around you.

Even something as simple as where you have situated yourself for the first six weeks after birth, whether that be in bed or on the couch, keeping that area tidy and organised can help you feel you’re not living in a chaotic world. For example, try to keep your living space/bed/sleep area tidy – whether it’s investing in space-saving furniture like fitted wardrobes or beds with in-built storage, or having a makeshift corner where you can keep things you use daily close to hand. It might not be a tidy home – and that’s ok, you and baby come first – a tidy production line can help you feel you’re staying on top of things each day.

2. ‘Me’ time is achievable and important

Me time? What’s that, I hear you ask.

It seems a long way away when you threw away those birth control pills and your social life went with it.

While having a baby is a joyous event that marks a precious new chapter, the initial period of adjusting to a new arrival can be stressful and overwhelming, especially if it’s your first time. To maintain your physical and mental health in the weeks and months after giving birth, it’s important to practice self-care and take some time for yourself.

‘Me’ time is that all-important time to do something for yourself that makes you happy or keeps you sane. It can be five minutes of quiet time in your bedroom, or it can be a quick trip to the shops, or even the hairdressers.

Balance your mind and body through mindfulness and relaxation

Take this moment now and say ‘STOP!’ Put whatever it is you’re doing down (unless you’re in the middle of a feed) and close your eyes. Any thoughts that come to your mind about your body after birth acknowledge them and then wave them away. Focus on how you are feeling at that moment. If your baby is feeding, focus on what you are doing to feed your baby. What does she/he smell like? What does your breast milk or her bottle of milk smell like? Are you hungry? Are you thirsty?

Focusing on the present moment is called mindfulness and it allows you to push unnecessary thoughts away so that you can concentrate only on the here and now. Now breathe in and exhale deeply, blowing the excess air away through your lips. The action can bring balance instantly when there is turmoil around you. Do this every day for just five minutes (longer is better) and you find you can tackle the world around you once you’ve given yourself a break.

Practice yoga

Utilise rare silence and get some Zen back into your life with yoga. You can find some free YouTube videos, from beginner to advanced, to help you wind down and relax after a hectic day of kids and to-do lists!

Yoga is proven to be one of the most effective ways of keeping the mind and body young and happy.

Meditation

If you can’t or won’t do yoga, then consider meditation. When you’ve had a physically and mentally exhausting day and you haven’t clocked in enough sleep hours, then taking time to be alone, even if it’s just five minutes, is an even more important thing to do.

You may think, wait, I haven’t got time to do that; I have a new baby!

Find five minutes.

In those five minutes, you want to maximise your breathing efficiency as it’s the best way to calm your body down and lower those stress levels. You don’t have to lie down, you can sit up too, but the point is to stop the world for five minutes and concentrate on your breath.

The trick is not to overthink it (ha!) Either sit on a chair or cross-legged on the floor, so your spine is straight and upright. Either open or close your eyes, whatever makes you feel more comfortable and softly focus your mind on your breathing. Breathe in and out naturally, gradually trying to make the inhales and exhales longer and deeper. If you’re having trouble with this, you can count each exhale.

Then concentrate on breathing in for four, holding your breath for seven, and then breathing out slowly for eight. A few times doing this and you’ll notice that your mind and body are more at peace and when you check back into reality you are more focussed on the tasks ahead. You can also end up being more productive too and this 4-7-8 breathing technique, if you continue to do it every day, multiple times a day, can actually aid digestion, sleep and the respiratory system. You can find more mindfulness and meditation techniques here.

Obviously, it’s impossible to switch off the brain completely, but taking the time to be with yourself and meditating is a powerful tool to strengthen the mind and body and, ultimately, de-stress more successfully. Meditation aids spiritual growth and reduces stress exponentially, ultimately increasing overall health and providing your body with stronger immunity to stressful situations.

Total body stretching

Have you ever placed your arms above your head after being in one position for a long time, stretched your body, and heard your spine creak and moan in response? It’s amazing how we don’t take time out to stretch our bodies and how knotted our back becomes during the day. A lot of stress comes from the extra pressure we add from bad posture, or we are bending our backs and not our knees to lift heavy objects off the floor. These movements have harsh, long-term effects on our body.

When cats wake up from their catnaps, they stretch their entire body out before they pounce about nimbly like ninjas. Stretching like a cat when you wake up, coupled with long, deep breaths, not only stretch out your muscles and realign your bones, but the instant rush of oxygen through your body wakes you up faster than a double shot espresso.

Try it. As soon as you wake up, inhale deeply as you stretch your arms above your head and elongate the legs so you are as straight as an arrow. Then exhale deeply through pursed lips as you enjoy the stretch. It feels so great afterwards!

Just as a bonus point, if you inhale through the nose and exhale through pursed lips, you are increasing your breathing efficiency and enhancing your tolerance for exercise. That means you can endure longer, tougher workouts.

Take care of your skin

From the late-night feeds to the infrequent meals and lack of time to shower, your skin will experience a whole myriad of attacks and may look dry, patchy and older. It’s essential to find a few minutes twice a day (generally morning and night) to hydrate your skin with a good natural skincare routine. I swear by Infinatura Cura Oil which is a serum that contains eight 100% natural elements and hydrates the skin very well. You will notice a massive improvement in your skin after only a few applications. Coconut oil* is also great for the body and hair and saves you time and money looking for other skincare products.

Book a mother/baby/family photoshoot

A family photoshoot often gets overlooked when you’re worried about taking your baby home, as well as the new to-do list that comes with being a parent (as if you didn’t have enough to think about already!) But those first few weeks fly by so quickly that you’ll be left with blurred memories thanks to sleep deprivation and no concept of time.

Don’t worry about that post-baby body in the pictures! Capture the memory forever with your newborn and book a family shoot that immortalises those precious first moments. If you have other children, they’ll be grateful for the memories later when they look back at how young and free they were once upon a time.

Get online

Nowadays most of us have smartphones, tablets and laptops, and if you want a quick break, or to do something in betwen those long feeding times, these devices can be a great means for a fun time. There are different types of games for mums which you can enjoy online.

Mind Games

Keeping the mind alive helps you stay attentive when looking after your child. There are tons of great apps on smartphones, desktops and tablets that are designed to train your cognitive skills and achieve optimum brain fitness. So, if you have an app-worthy device, then take five minutes to download one and test those skills. As we get older, we become less likely to indulge in the computer games that we used to play when we were younger.

Although some people still play on their PS4s well into their thirties (my husband) we just don’t have that much free time to allocate any more. I am a huge advocate of brain training games and have even noticed my brain speed increasing after playing many a Solitaire Bliss, Sudoku, crossword and IQ type games.

However, if you fancy something that really tests the brain cells, then intellectual games such as Chess or the oriental game of Go is ideal. And, there are plenty of opportunities to play free chess games online with real people. Whatever your level, from beginner to master, you will always find people to play with.

A little night-time facial massage ritual

About twenty minutes before I intend to go to bed, I start my night-time beauty ritual. I take the time to cleanse and wash my face, but when I moisturise, I perform a mini facial for a few moments to massage the stressful day away. I try to incorporate a lymphatic drainage massage, which helps drain any blocked sinuses and tension headaches. I then massage the top of my head, which encourages the blood circulation and natural oils to the hair (also helps to thicken the hair too!)

Just doing this for a few minutes every evening immediately calms me down, relaxes the brain and refreshes my skin. Plus, I’ve noticed my hair and skin looking softer and smoother too.

Reward yourself with things that are just for you

Be kind to yourself and reward yourself from time to time after you have achieved the goals you have set for yourself. These can be anything from a long bubble bath to a new hairstyle.

Another great example could be to reward yourself for getting in some exercise and allowing yourself to invest in a designer pair of sneakers. You can find some gorgeous Gucci sneakers and other high-end designer training shoes at luxury designer retailer SSENSE that will make you want to spend as much time working out as you can just to wear them.

Order a takeaway

Sometimes it’s better when someone else cooks! But, if you don’t have that luxury at home, then you can enjoy the finer things in life. Grab a takeaway and tuck in! It may only be for a few hours, but such an evening will help you relive the blissful early days – better still, if you can enjoy some adult time with your partner too, that’s two birds and one stone!

Treat yourself to some new clothes – even if they’re a couple of sizes bigger!

The consensus on losing weight after pregnancy is that it takes nine months to grow a baby, so it will take nine months to lose the post-baby belly. But, even after the nine months have been and gone, you may still struggle to lose that extra weight. The entire process seems to take forever and you’re too tired to exercise.

Please allow yourself a break and embrace the weight gain after pregnancy. Your body just delivered a brand new baby, which is pretty darn amazing, so give yourself the chance to heal and recover naturally. You could always look for a post-pregnancy workout to try when you get the opportunity and you could try a belly band to hold in the stomach and keep things tight around your waist.

However, if the changes to your stomach have a big impact on how you view yourself and your confidence, then the option of surgical enhancements is available as a last resort. What exactly do surgical enhancements mean? What is abdominoplasty? Click the link for further information, but chances are your partner hasn’t even noticed the extra few inches on your after-pregnancy body.

So why don’t you use this chance to treat yourself to some new flattering post-pregnancy clothes, which will not only help you feel better in your post-baby body but make you feel well enough to spark that road to recovery? Here are some ideas for what you could wear:

Colourful outerwear

When the season changes and the temperature cools down, you may be thankful for the opportunity to hide those new lumps and bumps in an oversized coat. But wearing what may resemble a tent may make you end up looking bigger overall. Opt for a light wearing bright mac, like the Packaway Mac from Bonmarche, which works perfectly to protect you against the rain and drapes over the post-baby belly without making you look like The Hulk. A Gilet can also cover you in colder weather without making you look frumpy.

A flowy top that drapes over the waist

A flowy top like the above Butterfly Print Top with Side Tie allows the top to fit over the shoulder and arms, creating a smaller frame while falling to the side, so it doesn’t cinch at the waist. The side tie allows for more flexibility, so as you slowly lose weight, you can tighten or loosen the tie according to how you feel that day. Flexibility is kind to your post-baby body!

Layered clothes can create vertical lines and disguise the belly

Layering is very effective at elongating the body, as it creates the illusion of vertical lines that distract the eye from your stomach. Try adding a shrug to a flowing dress like the above 2 in 1 Dress with Shrug or a double-layered top* accessorised with a flowing necklace, which creates a classic and versatile look that lengthens the body with an elegant chiffon overlayer.

Team up with some comfy leggings that hug at the waist lightly, and you can shed inches off your overall body without needing to hit the gym. N.B – Don’t forget that those celebrities who look amazing with a baby after birth employ personal trainers, chefs and nannies to get that toned stomach because they have the money to spend on these luxuries, which, is what they are – luxuries!

You would look like them too if you had that kind of money – and time. Eventually, you will get your mojo back and you will feel human again – but it takes time, so give yourself the luxury of time.

Make sure your undergarments are comfortable and supportive

You may not be in the mood to strip down to your unmentionables anytime soon, especially when you still have those lingering hormones after pregnancy, a wobbly belly, and drooping boobs. But, getting yourself measured for a well-fitting bra will not only make you feel better about yourself, but it will also reduce the back pain after pregnancy and from prolonged wear of ill-fitting bras.

Investing in some supportive post-pregnancy underwear that holds everything in will make you feel tighter and more confident. You could lose a dress size by just holding that post-pregnancy stomach in with some Spanx or a belly support band! There are loads of excellent tummy shaping underwear in the shops these days, so it’s worth getting measured up and then browsing the stores.

You may find it easier to shop online while your baby sleeps, but make sure you go in and get your bra size measured, as you may not receive an accurate reading using just online tools.

Dance or listen to music

Remember, before you had kids when you’d go out to clubs and dance the night away? Pour a couple of drinks, turn up the music and enjoy a little rhythmic exercise! Go contemporary with music choices or pop some tango or salsa music on for a little Latin passion!

If you can’t or won’t dance, then at least pop in your earphones/headphones and crank up your favourite tunes on Spotify. Music acts as a great therapy for a stressful day as it allows you to forget about your problems for a moment or two and engross you into the melody.

Do absolutely nothing

Do absolutely nothing? How is that possible when you have a newborn? When they’re asleep, just leave the toys on the floor, take a seat on the couch and put your feet up. Close your eyes and banish all thoughts from your mind. Do the mindfulness ritual I mentioned above. Remember, five minutes is enough to lower the blood pressure and unwind after the day’s busy events. If you’re anything like me, you’ll do nothing for twenty minutes instead.

Write without thinking

Few people understand the healing benefits of writing how you feel. So, grab yourself a pen and paper – or a laptop – make yourself a cuppa and write the first thing that comes to your mind. Soon your creative juices will flow and you’ll be surprised at what comes out on the other side. The next J.K. Rowling maybe?

Avoid blackhole behaviour

Blackhole behaviour is when you have spare time on your hands (shocking!) and you choose to sit around doing nothing for longer than the five minutes I mentioned earlier. You might watch a show, scroll through social media, or play a game on your phone. Eventually, you realise several hours have passed by and you’ve done nothing productive.

Stop throwing time into the black hole of the abyss and make the most of your rare occasions of ‘me’ time that last longer than a mere moment.

Speak to an adult about anything unrelated to kids

We sometimes feel that because we speak to children all day, our brain cells are slowly dying on us. I’ve been guilty of not being able to switch off the baby talk when an adult speaks to me. And, constantly repeating, “No, don’t do that,” or “Put that back!” can put a drain on your brain.

So, call up a dear friend or family member and just spout meaningless nonsense to them about nothing in particular that has nothing to do with your children. Or, ask them how they are and just listen. You’ll be surprised at how talking about something that is not related to your day can supercharge you into picking yourself up in the morning and grabbing that routine with bare hands.

Plus, you may realise that some other people’s lives can be more mundane or difficult and you will go to bed feeling lucky that you get to wake up in the morning and see your beautiful baby’s smiles every day.

On an aside, a friend of mine has just come back from New York on a business trip, so I like to live vicariously through her travels while I sit at home with four kids and manage my workload. I can at least feel like I’m there with my friend and it takes my mind of my to-do list!

Get your mojo back

We are guilty of forgetting our worth and not having the energy to bother with your health and wellbeing appearance.

Give yourself some time to breathe after birth an then get that mojo back! Do you remember what you were like before you had kids? Do you remember how it felt to dress up? Take time for yourself and do a mini up, personal fashion show just for yourself or for that lucky partner and just be silly. When the kids are in bed, get out your makeup and simply experiment.

Do up your hair and take lots of pictures. Then, when you’re feeling down and troubled, or simply drained, take out those pictures and remember what it felt like to be a real person and not just a mum.

Get away from what you’re doing and completely take your mind off it

Stop what you’re doing (if you can) and walk away, or leave the room. Just the act of taking yourself away from a negative situation stimulates your brain cells and allows you to approach your task with renewed vigour. For example, if your baby is screaming and the noise is boiling your blood, put the baby down somewhere safe, like the cot, walk out of the room, take 30 seconds, breathe in and out deeply and then walk back in again to the screaming.

What’s the screaming for? What have you tried already? What can you try to stop the screaming? It’s that act of walking away from the immediate picture, even if it’s for a moment that helps you keep going.

We can be guilty of telling ourselves we will read more… and then never open up a book. It happens, but reading is a great way to improve your mental health development and boost your emotional wellbeing. Make it a goal to read a little every single day, or even twice a week, and you will see just how much you can learn from a book. Whether it is nonfiction or fiction, reading is a great way to boost your mental health. You can also read on an electronic tablet, which will make reading every day easier.

Manage your stress

Life is stressful, there is no denying that. We can’t always stop the stresses from happening in our lives, but we can do things to relieve them.

Stress can encompass you through various forms in your life, especially during parenthood, when you are faced with extreme situations affecting your children daily.

A 2010 study by the American Psychological Association (APA) surveyed over 2,000 adults and children, with some very interesting results. The study showed that almost 70% of parents believed their own stress barely affected their children – but when speaking to children, this was not the case.

90% of the children who were surveyed stated they could tell when their parents were stressed; because they witnessed their parents arguing or because their parents failed to spend time with them. Many of these children said they felt frustrated, worried and sad as a result, and almost a third of the children complained of stomachaches or headaches because of stress.

So, what to do? These results seem to suggest that postpartum anxiety and stress can be contagious – meaning that when you’re suffering mentally, you may affect the mental health of your children too.

So, it is even more important to divide and conquer all the stressors in your life and keep them as far away from your children as possible. For example, work-related stress can be left at work and discussed with your partner when your child is not around to hear it. Any stress that you may have at home or with your partner can be discussed with them alone and not in front of the children.

Of course, it is better to have an honest outlook on life with your children, so if the stress involves them try to find some common ground where you are not shouting at or ordering your child.

There are tons of things you can do to de-stress, like taking a bath, cooking, or using a weighted blanket. A weighted blanket can help with anxiety and improve the quality of your sleep. Look at this weighted blanket guide to finding one that will help keep you relaxed when you are feeling anxious.

The World Health Organization published an illustrative guide on stress management where you can spend just a few minutes a day on stress techniques to help you with everyday anxiety.

Practice gratitude every day

It is easy to focus on the things that are going wrong in your life, but if you find you’re in a rut, then now is the time to practice gratitude every day. Buy a journal and write down the things you are thankful for, from being able to move your body to having a family who loves you. Journal writing can be very therapeutic which in turn can boost your spiritual wellbeing.

3. Take care of what you eat

It’s easy to neglect your health when all your focus is on caring for the new baby, but it’s essential that you eat regular meals and try to follow healthy lifestyle habits. If you’re struggling to keep up with a schedule or cook regularly, consider batch-cooking and planning your meals weekly, as well as taking postnatal vitamins and supplements.

Don’t worry about counting calories or actively watching what you eat. As long as you are adopting a healthy post-baby diet and eating everything in moderation, i.e. plenty of fruits and vegetables, protein, carbs and even fat (good fats) then you’re probably doing the right thing and the weight will fall off naturally.

When you’re a new 24-hour Supermum, it may be easier to graze on snacks throughout the day, but make sure you’re keeping your energy levels up by eating from all food groups. If you want to have a chocolate bar, then have it. Just don’t have ten in one go because it will hinder your chances of losing weight. It’s a good idea to stock your house with lots of snacks like fruit bars, nuts, dried fruit, dark chocolate and popcorn.

Don’t forget eating right also aids in natural weight loss too – two birds, one stone! I have had a subscription with Graze since they launched in 2007 because they make it so easy to snack on healthy delicious goodies every week. There are tons of different boxes to choose from and you get a healthy selection of nuts, raisins, fruit and even biscuits with a teabag in the box!

It’s such a lovely treat to get through the letterbox, especially when you’ve just had a baby because it feels like a special present for yourself to enjoy while you’re feeding baby. I love Graze and will continue to subscribe to a box that is only £2.99 (I’m old school, so I pay old school prices).

Your baby will stop you from eating a proper meal, so if you’ve missed dinner, eating the above high-protein snacks will help you feel better and reduce your chances of over-indulging on the bad stuff until you have time to eat later. The trick is to take care of your post-baby body and your baby’s so that you have the strength to get through those tough first few months relatively unscathed.

Make sure you start with the right mindset about food

I know how difficult it is to get out of that vicious cycle of eating bad food once you’re in it and how depressed you become when you turn to more food to make you feel better, even though you know it will only just make you feel worse.

You don’t have to remove everything you enjoy, just think about cutting back on sugar and starch. These foods stimulate insulin, which is the hormone that encourages fat storage. When insulin reduces, the body finds it easier to burn fats instead of carbs. The kidneys also work better and reduce bloating and excess water weight.

If you are eating and drinking more calories than you are burning, then you will not lose weight.

It is a lot easier said than done. I was stuck in a rut, breastfeeding my second baby for two and a half years (not by choice!) and eating more than my fair share of sugar. I felt tired all the time, I was getting sick easily and then, one day, I got so ill (exhaustion brought on a cold, which progressed to flu and then, subsequently, a tummy bug) that I thought I was going to die from some weird virus.

Educating yourself on the importance of nutrients in your diet and what they do to benefit the body is paramount to changing your eating habits. Nutrients also help boost metabolism, which, in turn, aids weight loss.

You find that a lot of the healthy recipes are actually really simple to make and will put you on the road to a healthier mind and body. Plus, your kids will reap the benefits of a new and healthy (and less stressful) mum! You could join slimming clubs like Slimming World, if you need the extra support and nudge to fix your diet.

Start meal planning and working out what you’re going to make during the week

Healthy food, especially fruits and vegetables, especially when you’re buying for a larger family, can be quite expensive. I never really understood why the healthier stuff was always more expensive than junk food in the UK. So, on a modest person’s salary, the safest option is to meal plan, so you don’t buy in excess. I scour the net for recipe ideas all the time, but I generally keep to a non-exhaustive rule when I’m meal planning.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so make sure you have cereals in your cupboard, like oats or Weetabix, which are great because they’re high in fibre and help you go to the loo. Eggs are also really versatile and perfect for breakfast meals, as well as nice wholemeal bread, toasted with a bit of Clover butter (which contains half the saturated fat as other butter).

My favourite breakfast recipe at the moment is poached/boiled egg with avocado and tomatoes on toasted wholemeal bread, complete with a sprinkle of sea salt and lots of lemon juice!

You can afford to be versatile at lunchtime. Pasta salads are great and keep you full for longer. Even classics like jacket potato with baked beans and cheese are relatively healthy, considering how much cheese you add. You can even opt for sweet potatoes instead of normal potatoes, which are deliciously sweet and gorgeous.

For dinner, if you are a meat-eater, opting for small portions of lean meat and/or chicken as a side dish can drastically change your diet. My mum always used to say that vegetables should be the main part of the dish and not the side, so go for lots of veg with some protein (meat) and carbs (potatoes) to complement and you can’t go wrong with that formula.

Turkey contains half the fat of chicken, so you can even go one step further and replace chicken with turkey. Perhaps go for a nice sandwich with spring onions, spinach (instead of lettuce for that iron boost) and your favourite low fat sauce. I now replace any kind of sauce with either French Mustard or just plain lemon.

Build into the daily plan to eat at least seven portions of fruit and vegetables a day. You can work up some of these vegetables in classic meals like vegetable lasagne, salads and/or pasta dishes. Legumes are super important for your diet. My favourite at the moment is chicken and lentil soup, which the kids also love too. It’s also really low in fat!

I like grilling or roasting vegetables and having them around during the day for snacking. Drizzle on some olive oil or Clover butter and/or sea salt and they taste simply delicious. Other snacks can include carrots, celery and/or wholemeal pita bread slices dipped in hummus, mixed nuts and raisins, and whole-grain crackers with peanut butter (go for the reduced sugar kind and you should be fine).

My absolute favourite snack at the moment is wholemeal Krisprolls with feta cheese and apple slices. You must try it, it’s delectable! For full recipes and meal plans, head to Five for a Fiver where I document 5-ingredient recipes for £5 or less.

Eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full

Most of the time, we do not listen to our bodies and overeat to the point of bursting. Not knowing when there is an off switch can lead to becoming overweight because you haven’t given your body enough time to tell you it is full and that it doesn’t need that extra food.

When you find that your stomach is feeling empty, that is the best time to eat a nutritious meal, as the body can absorb all the good bits when it is not trying to digest other heavy foods. Therefore, they say to fill up on fruit at breakfast because you have an empty stomach when you wake up and the nutrients from the fruit can be absorbed by the body quickly and more efficiently.

It is also important to eat consistently, so your sugar levels are not fluctuating throughout the day. Have you ever noticed how much more you want to pig out on bad stuff later on in the day when you skip a meal? It is because your body’s sugar levels are down and it’s looking for sweet stuff to bring it back up. Don’t forget that sugar is only a quick high and you will soon experience that dreaded crash again.

Go for convenience

Another option would be to use a meal subscription service like HelloFresh which is not only convenient but it saves us money in our weekly shop too. Plus, you get everything you need to prepare foods that fit a calorie-controlled diet delivered to your door. You don’t need a restrictive diet, instead eat well and regularly throughout the day to maintain your sugar levels and if you keep it to whole foods, then you will lose weight naturally.

Check your diet and lifestyle

Ensure you are providing yourself with a nutritious balanced diet so you can keep up with vigours of motherhood every day. Consider food supplements to help you with any deficiencies you may suffer from, as we parents know it is difficult to offer ourselves the same time as we afford our children.

Hydrate!

One thing you may forget to do during those first few months, apart from eating, is to hydrate. When you’re dehydrated, you feel drowsy and your brain turns to mush. Having a large bottle of water with you at all times will encourage you to drink those cobwebs away. You may even need over eight glasses or two litres of water a day when you’re breastfeeding, so make sure you take that time to hydrate, because it will bring some life back into your mind and body when you need it the most.

You can find more tips on nutrition, relaxation and health during pregnancy over at Mommy Authority.

4. Get some form of exercise in every day

You want a fit body after pregnancy, but the thought of postnatal exercise when you’re still in recovery mode sends you running under the covers. Maybe you’ve suffered from diastasis recti after pregnancy (separated stomach muscles) and you’re suffering from back pain postpartum, so you do not know how or where to start on your post-baby body workout. Or you’re suffering from postnatal depression and you can just about crawl to the bathroom.

But, what does normality look like after having a baby? Exactly what happens to woman’s body after pregnancy? What do you wear to cover that muffin top now?

You’ll fit into your new normal over time, and it will be sooner than you think. There are tons of gentle exercises and simple diet plans to help you lose your baby weight naturally because, remember, as with any other situation, sudden weight loss is not the way to go and the swift body changes could leave you with nasty, unhealthy side effects which might make you feel worse.

Times have changed and the world is now wising up to those celebrities who claim to have sprung back into their pre-pregnancy clothes with no extra help. It’s not easy to lose weight that quickly without a personal trainer, a nanny or buckets of cash to throw at plastic surgery. A lot of women are even taking up to 18 months to lose weight.

Well, guess what? That’s ok! As long as you’re losing weight healthily, then it shouldn’t matter how long it takes. Your body will be ready when it’s ready. One thing not to do after giving birth is rush into weight loss before you can handle it because it may cause complications later on in life.

It certainly didn’t take me nine months to lose my baby weight. Try doubling that figure… and then adding four months… And, even then, I was still 5kg over my pre-pregnancy weight. In fact, I would say the first time I truly felt like I had hit my pre-pregnancy weight was three and a half years after the birth of my second son.

So, why did it take so long to slim down? I put it down to a lot of fad diets at the beginning and then a good telling off from my mum, who, rightfully educated me on eating right and exercising well. Fast fixes reap short-term benefits, but a healthy and steady weight loss can keep the pounds off for life. Below are some tips on how to lose weight effectively by working together with food and exercise:

Build in at least 30 minutes of exercise a day, every day

I believe the key to losing weight healthily is to exercise as well as you eat. This means not over or underdoing it, but getting the blood pumping for at least 30 minutes a day. Even if you walk for ten minutes, climb up the stairs rather than take the lift, run in place for a few minutes or take the stroller out anywhere and everywhere, these activities build up.

If you get your 30 minutes of exercise in a day, then you will slowly start the see the results. You’ll feel stronger, slimmer, and you’ll blow all those cobwebs away from the fuzziness after birth. Just be careful to not do anything strenuous for the first six weeks because your body is still weak and vulnerable. Even post-six weeks, if you feel like your body is not ready, just slow it down.

The natural highs you get from exercising will kick in soon enough and it will make you want to be out and about more. Click here for an awesome stroller workout by Kristen Horler, which should really get those legs moving. And, you get to do it with your baby in tow, so no excuses!

Go for regular exercise that gets the blood pumping

You don’t need to go all out and exercise yourself to exhaustion. In fact, continuously overworking your body is just as bad as not working your body at all. Go for the mantra of getting the blood pumping to the point of being just out of breath and feeling the sweat coming.

Go for a walk or a run

Thirty minutes of exercise is recommended every day and that could be a brisk walk in the park or a run if you’re feeling fitter enough to do more. I find cardio strength exercises are the best form of exercise, where you are increasing the heart rate and building muscle at the same time.

And you don’t have to take the kitchen sink with you when you’re exercising outdoors. Read more here for some great packs that you can run with.

Make exercise a personal priority

Starting a new fitness regime to help yourself meet your weight loss goals can be fun and exciting. But it is important to make sure you are mentally treating the time you spend at the gym or outdoors as an important part of your day, so you don’t skip it just because something came up – because a lot of things will naturally come up. A good way to do this is to mark your workouts in a calendar as if they are important appointments that you cannot miss without a very good reason, and without rescheduling them.

Don’t think ‘I will try and find time to go to the gym later’ – make it a hard date. It may even be easier to workout at home, so you don’t spend the time getting to the gym, showering and then coming back. If you’re busy at work, then a gym may work for you, but if you’re a stay at home mum, working out at home might be easier. If you have small children, then involve them in your exercise routine, like running with the buggy or using them as weights – just be careful not to drop them when you’re working out!

Move your body every day

Exercising does not mean doing an intense workout at 5 a.m. Exercising can be as simple as going for a walk or practising yoga. What is important is that you move your body every single day. Exercise is a great way to de-stress and clear your mind, so make it a point to move your body every day to boost your physical wellbeing.

5. Fresh air does wonders

Walking in the fresh air comes with a multitude of benefits: it’s good for your baby (they learn about the great outdoors), you’ll burn a few calories, and your mood will improve. Also walking after giving birth will help you recover much quicker too.

You can use that time to zone out the noise and enjoy a nice walk around your local park. You may find some of that peace you’ve craved for a while now (well, maybe not in some parts of London, but you’ll still feel miles better than when you were stuck indoors.)

How about picking up your best hiking shoes and heading to the hills to take a walk through open nature?

Even if you can’t make it outside because you have a little one who dotes on you 24/7, then use your time spent wisely by popping your head out of the window for five minutes or venturing to the garden. Breathe that fresh air into your lungs and regenerate. If you’re by a tree, breathe the fresh air around it. Trees use photosynthesis to turn our carbon dioxide into the oxygen we need, and fresh air boosts the immune system.

You may have noticed that getting the heart pumping and being out and about seems to reduce cold-like symptoms when you’re feeling rundown. I have done this many times and along with Vitamin D (your body makes this from the sun when you’re outside), water and Vitamin C (like oranges, tomatoes and strawberries) exercise helps bust colds and flu before they hit hard.

So if you combine fresh air with some exercise, i.e. taking a walk outside, you can kick-start that immune system and help your body fight those germs so you can tackle those parental duties with real vigour.

Fresh air boosts happiness too!

6. Watch your lifestyle

Physical health is important and your attitude towards your health will help to shape the attitudes of your children. Disease prevention is a key lesson you can teach your kids from an early age, by taking action on your health and managing a positive lifestyle. Make it a point to book regular eye and dental check-ups for the family. If I hadn’t done this myself then I wouldn’t have known that my then four-year-old needed glasses and my then two-year-old needed regular ear wax cleaning.

If you drink too much, then this will affect your mental wellbeing and your physical health. HARTMANN Direct brought out a guide which talks about the impact alcohol has on your bladder and bowels. Alcoholism can wreak havoc on your heart, your mind and your liver. But, what most people don’t realise is that excessive drinking can also lead to incontinence too.

Alcohol is a powerful diuretic, so even a few drinks can increase your urine production and make you feel you need to go to the loo more often than normal. This excessive urination can lead to dehydration and much more concentrated urine, which can lead to urinary tract and kidney infections. This is because the concentrated urine sits in the bladder and causes irritation and inflammation to the bladder’s lining. And, if you’re not careful, this can quickly spread to your kidneys.

The burning and painful feeling you get during a UTI is down to the urethra and bladder spasming, which can also lead to headaches, back pain, fever and general malaise. Cystitis is also one symptom of a bladder infection and you may feel a sharp pain and see blood in your urine. These issues can damage your quality of life and prevent you from carrying on with your daily tasks, which may impact your children, especially if the discomfort causes you to have erratic behaviour too.

Alcohol can also impair your brain, and this can become very dangerous when looking after your children. This is because your reflexes and brain functions are not as on point as when you are sober. Alcohol can also cause bowel problems like irritation and inflammation of the gut, which can cause diarrhoea.

Be careful to limit or eliminate alcohol when you experience diarrhoea as you are causing damage to your stomach lining and your body is losing nutrients. Have a full meal before drinking so the food can act as a buffer. Food and water can slow down the effects of alcohol and prevent bladder and bowel problems from occurring, as well as overall illness. If you are struggling to quit or you experience delirium tremens (severe form of alcohol withdrawal), consider extra support like alcoholics anonymous to help you break the habit of relying on alcohol to boost your mental state.

The same goes for drugs like crystalline meth / crystal methadone which alter your mental state and impact your ability to look after your kids.

Smoking can affect your health and wellbeing too

The same can be said for smoking. Second-hand smoke can have a huge impact on your baby’ health, which is why many parents now choose to “smoke” an electronic cigarette (you can buy some gourmet-style E-liquid at Redvape.com). Vaping can help to kick the habit and ensure you are working towards creating a healthy home for yourself and your children when you finally stop inhaling anything for good.

Improving your physical and mental health can not only ensure that you live longer, but it also sets an example for your children to lead a healthy life too. So if you have any form of addiction that is harming your health, it needs to be treated ASAP to help yours and your family’s mental state.

7. Surround yourself with a support network

Various studies and controlled trials around the world show that a strong support network around new mothers, especially during the first week, reduces the chances of postnatal depression and that dreaded feeling of burning out. Postpartum care is essential. Ask for help and take it when they offer you the opportunity, whether that means allowing someone else to cook the dinner, tidy up your home or take care of the baby for a couple of hours.

Surround yourself with people you love

If you hang out with people who are toxic and bring bad energy into your life, your personal wellbeing is going to reflect that. You should surround yourself with people you love and people who want the best for you.

Don’t be afraid to seek external help

You can’t do everything by yourself as a full-time parent. Call the grandparents, hire a maid, or consider an au pair while the kids are learning their schoolwork at home or need some entertaining. It may cost money, but peace of mind is priceless. Plus, if you’re able to hire extra help, you may start that business you always wanted to create or go back to work if you haven’t done so yet.

8. Get your sleep where and when you can

It is an overused phrase and it’s guaranteed to make most new mums go mad, especially when you’re wondering, When else will I get the time to have a shower, watch TV, work, or simply make myself something to eat? But, there is a point to this. Sleep regenerates the cells and rejuvenates a tired body, so even an extra 15-minute nap during the day would be enough to make you feel better about yourself and reduce that dreaded onset of sleep deprivation. Sleep also boost your mood and makes you a more pleasant person.

If you’re still feeling the back strain from pregnancy, then look for a mattress for side sleepers with back pain to help with postnatal recovery. Make it a priority in your life to get enough sleep every night where you can, whenever you can get it, and your health will change for the better.

9. Get professional help (including complementary and alternative medicine)

While all these natural treatment for postpartum depression steps can contribute toward improved physical and mental well-being in the postnatal period, it’s essential that you investigate and seek mental health care and support through the NHS if you feel as though you’re struggling – don’t be afraid to seek professional help where it’s needed and remember that your mental health is a key priority for both yourself and your child.

Your doctor may discuss unconventional as well as conventional treatments for postpartum depression like light therapy, a low dietary intake with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Your doctor may also discuss common CAM therapies for treating postpartum depression, like aromatherapy and reflexology.

Some pregnant women may suffer from perinatal depression and so their doctor would have already laid treatment steps and monitored recovery during birth and the fourth trimester.

Key topics to discuss at postpartum visits

“The comprehensive postpartum visit should include a full assessment of physical, social, and psychological well-being, including the following domains: mood and emotional well-being; infant care and feeding; sexuality, contraception, and birth spacing; sleep and fatigue; physical recovery from birth; chronic disease…”
https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/committee-opinion/articles/2018/05/optimizing-postpartum-care

Bonus point – Look at your baby and remember why you’re doing all of this in the first place

If you are stressed and in a state of panic, especially if you’re losing yourself to motherhood because A, B, and C have not been done, stop what you’re doing (it’s only five minutes, remember, don’t worry) and just take a moment to laugh and play with your baby. It’s amazing how the simple act of smiling can boost your mood instantly. Babies seem to make you forget about your problems, especially when they’re giggling.

They don’t see your body postpartum; the bulge, your stretch marks, your dark circles, or that you haven’t been out of your pyjamas all day. Your body is the reason they are alive right now. In a blink of an eye, they’ll be all grown up and they won’t want those nighttime cuddles or extra attention anymore.

You are so selflessly sacrificing your life to ensure they have the best start in theirs, ready to flee the nest and live in their own exciting world. I know it’s hard, but enjoy the time while you can when they’re a big ball of love because time flies so fast when you have your amazing children with you.

The important message to take away from this article is that downtime and to take time for yourself are just as important as being busy and staying on top of all your tasks. There is no depression test, so if you are having negative feelings that are affecting the way you look after your baby, then seek professional help so you can start your treatment plan. Your doctor may prescribe antidepressant medication to help speed up that road to recovery.

FAQ

What is postpartum depression? What are its causes and cure? Why does it happen and in which situation?

Other questions asked were:

Can depression and anxiety be treated and cured with homeopathy?
Can homeopathy cure depression and anxiety?
How do I deal with postpartum depression? What are the symptoms?
What’s postpartum depression?
What are the symptoms of depression?
What are signs of depression?
What are the signs of depression?

Read the article above for more information on postpartum depression and what to do.

How is postpartum depression treated?

Other questions asked were:

What are the treatment options for postpartum depression?

“SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) are the most widely used and most researched medication for postpartum anxiety and postpartum depression. SSRIs work by increasing the level of serotonin in the brain.”
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22693-postpartum-anxiety

How can I treat postpartum depression naturally?

Other questions asked were:

How to naturally treat postpartum depression
how to help postpartum depression without medication
how to help postpartum depression at home
Treatment recommendations for postpartum depression
Lifestyle and home remedies
How can I treat postpartum depression naturally?

“Build a secure bond with your baby. Emotional bonding is the secure attachment that forms between parents and children. …

Take care of yourself. …

Slowly reintroduce exercise. …

Build a support network. …

Try psychotherapy and medication.”
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320005

What is the best Ayurvedic or homeopathic treatment for depression and anxiety?

Other questions asked were:

Which is the best medication available today for depression and anxiety, whether it is in allopathy Ayurveda homeopathy or others?
What is the best Allopathy medicine for anxiety and depression?
Can homeopathy medicine control anxiety and panic disorders?

“Several controlled and non-placebo controlled studies demonstrate that moderate to severe depression has been successfully treated with homeopathy, with efficacy superior to placebo and comparable to fluoxetine, and the safety of homeopathic treatment has also been demonstrated.”
https://www.cureus.com/articles/70953-efficacy-of-individualized-homeopathy-in-treatment-resistant-depression

What gemstone do you believe has the most effective healing properties for postpartum depression?

Click here for some answers on Quora: https://qr.ae/pvUrk5

Is lithium carbonate ever used to treat postpartum depression?

“Prescription lithium (Eskalith, Lithobid) has been used for decades to treat some mental health conditions, including bipolar disorder depression. Oral lithium (also called lithium carbonate) is derived from the natural element lithium.”
https://www.healthline.com/health/can-lithium-help-treat-depression

How can I stop feeling guilty for having postpartum depression when my youngest was born?

Click here for some interesting answers to this question: https://qr.ae/pvUrMI

Is ashwagandha good for postpartum?

“Ashwagandha is also an good healing herb for postpartum support. It helps to produce mil, ease stress and rebuild physical strength. Studies show that ashwagandha has anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting benefits. The root is an adaptogenic herb, which helps the body adapt to stressors.”
https://www.mofga.org/resources/herbs/ashwagandha

What herbs help with postpartum?

“Antibacterial plants: Sage, Thyme, Rosemary.

Uterine Toners: Witch Hazel Leaf/Bark, Mugwort, Red Clover.

Anodynes: Rose Petals, Chamomile, Calendula and Lavender.

Anti-inflammatory plants: Yarrow, St. John’s Wort, Frankincense.

Epson salts also are a great addition to soaks & baths.”
https://thebirthboss.com/blog-archive/2020/4/27/herbal-magic-for-postpartum-healing

What vitamins help PPD?

“Riboflavin, or vitamin B-2, may also help decrease your risk of developing PPD. In a study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, researchers examined this vitamin along with folate, cobalamin, and pyridoxine. Riboflavin was the only one they found to have a positive effect on the mood disorder.”
https://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/natural-remedies-for-postpartum-depression

*Collaborative feature post*