Us new mommas, or even those of you veteran mommas, are tired. Especially if your baby is like mine and is back to 100% battery life after only 20 minutes of napping. Which means no nap for you, ma. Plus, if your child is also like mine in the way that I had to cut out the main sources of energy while breastfeeding (coffee, chocolate, tea, & energy drinks) then there's a good chance you had to resort to other sources. So here are some ways I have stayed sane awake:
1. Apples to apples...to apples. No, not the game...although, that might distract you from how tired your brain is. Or it could bring out your half asleep babble. I am literally talking about apples, apple juice, applesauce. Science has proven that an apple is capable of waking you up the way that coffee does but even more so because of the type of sugar it contains, plus it's made up of carbohydrates so your body burns it much slower than coffee.
2. Get that booty outside. Fresh air + sunlight is good for you in so many ways. It's proven to fight off depression too. If you have the early week baby blues (totally normal btw) or you are just so tired that you're scared to hold your baby for fear of passing out face first onto the floor - going outside will brighten you up, even if you're out for only 10 minutes. I've taken Harper on strolls around our neighborhood in the middle of winter just to get some Vitamin D energy. In my defense, the sun was out even though there was snow on the ground so it wasn't too harsh.
3. Yoga or my new favorite: yogalates. I always thought Yoga or working out in general would wear me out before waking me up but when you're upside down in crazy positions like downward dog, all your blood rushes to your head causing things to get moving, therefore waking you up. Stretching has the same effect too - it physically wakes up your body, at least I think it does because it works for me. Lately, I've been following the workout calendar from blogilates.com. She has so much energy and that definitely motivates me, plus she used dancing for cardio that is soo much fun. Here's one of my favorites:
4. Certain Teas. Like I said earlier, some mamas, like myself, had to/have to cut out caffeine but there are plenty of teas out there that don't contain caffeine while offering you a healthy pick-me-up. They have lots of great herbs in them that help wake me up, just research each herb if you are pregnant or breastfeeding to make sure it's safe! I have a serious tea addiction...my current favorite is the decaffeinated Blueberry Pomegranate Green Tea!
Here's a picture of the majority of my tea collection, missing my giant
box of Green Tea and the blueberry pom one. :)
5.Take a shower. In the early days this might be off the table for a little while, especially when you're a stay at home mom with no nanny and a hubby that leaves the house to go to work. It also may have the reverse effect to waking you up but the few times I was able to jump into the shower during those early days, it helped get me away from dreamland. Or even just washing my face works.
6. Green Machine. I love the fresh juiced grab & go juices that are supposedly packed full of fruits and veggies. It's easy to grab these when you're a new mom or on the go, but if you have the spare time, I like making my own with the magic bullet - spinach, blueberries, pomegranate arils, bananas, etc. It's natural energy!
7. Vitamins. When you're pregnant you can't have caffeine either so I got used to taking vitamins for energy. B-12, B-6, plus prenatals! Which I continued to take for at least 3 months after Harper was born.
8. Eat. Especially if you are breastfeeding. I forgot to eat alllll the time. Adam would literally sit me down, take the baby, and shove a plate of food in my face telling me not to worry about Harper ha. I would get so drained and ended up just snacking here and there, which is really not good for you..or at least for me. Also, less sugar, more healthy fats/carbs.
9. In time you'll get used to sleep deprivation, so much so that when you actually do get lucky with a full night's sleep, you'll almost miss the few hours of sleep because more sleep makes you even more tired when you're used to only a few hours of it!
7. Vitamins. When you're pregnant you can't have caffeine either so I got used to taking vitamins for energy. B-12, B-6, plus prenatals! Which I continued to take for at least 3 months after Harper was born.
8. Eat. Especially if you are breastfeeding. I forgot to eat alllll the time. Adam would literally sit me down, take the baby, and shove a plate of food in my face telling me not to worry about Harper ha. I would get so drained and ended up just snacking here and there, which is really not good for you..or at least for me. Also, less sugar, more healthy fats/carbs.
9. In time you'll get used to sleep deprivation, so much so that when you actually do get lucky with a full night's sleep, you'll almost miss the few hours of sleep because more sleep makes you even more tired when you're used to only a few hours of it!
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