by Jamie Reed posted in Parenting

Life with a newborn is full of extremes. There's so much love, laughter, and amazement at the tiny human you?ve created. There's also a lot of anxiety, doubt, and tears (the baby's and yours) as you try to navigate life on broken-up sleep, loads of tiny laundry, and the dozens (and dozens) of questions constantly swarming through your mind.
It can be hard to find a moment to sit down for a meal, let alone a nap. But self-care during this time isn't just important, it's crucial. Even more so if your baby is on the fussy side.
For me, any time my son hit a growth spurt, had a day totally out of his routine, or had an upset stomach (exclusively breastfeeding didn't work out and we had to try different formulas), he was particularly fussy and I felt it as much as he did. I knew I had to take care of myself so that I could take better care of him. Here are a few of the things I've added into my routine so that I'm taken care of too.
1. Take 5 (or longer!)
I try to find some downtime every day. It could be the 15 minutes before the baby wakes in the morning, during his afternoon nap, or just whenever I have the chance. Sometimes I just take some deep breaths, close my eyes, and rest. (At this point I occasionally fall asleep, but that's great too!)
One of my favorite times of day has become the 20 minutes or so I take at night to get ready for bed while my husband cares for the baby. I sometimes take a quick shower or use a facial mask to pam...