Intuition and Motherhood

Following your intuition is key as an individual, but especially as you begin your journey to motherhood. There are so many decisions you make as a parent with the pregnancy, and how you want to parent your child. There are so many books with advice, plus the opinions of your friends, family, and loved ones, that it can be a challenge to navigate with your partner and find what works best for you both. 

Creating space for your own ability to shift through all this will allow you to reduce your anxiety and flow in a space of trust. Your intuition is a way to do this. It is that little thing that tells you: I should call my mom or a specific friend for example and sure enough they are going through something at that moment or thinking of you or end up saying the exact thing you needed to hear at that moment. 

Intuition is that feeling of “I shouldn’t take the train today, but walk instead” and maybe you find out the train was stalled or you end up needing to ground yourself and end up enjoying the walk. Intuition is that thing that tells you to eat more berries or take an extra immune booster this week and sure enough, you find out later you were overly busy or around someone who had a cold, etc. These are all ways our intuition talks to us and if we choose to listen will guide us through our lives with ease.

Steps to listening to your intuition:

1. Be present with yourself (slow down, and focus on each moment rather than worrying about 10 steps ahead)

2. If something doesn’t feel right, honor this ( in conversation, with plans, in relationships)

3. Release attachment (it can be challenging to hear clearly our internal guidance when we are attached to the outcome)

4. If you hear that voice inside of you telling you something choose to listen to it and become aware of how listening made you feel or impacted your day or the outcome differently. With each intuitive moment you choose to listen to and have a positive understanding behind it this begins to give you a confirmation and build your trust in your intuition.

Beginning to practice this before parenthood will help you connect more with yourself and be attuned with your child and will create an easier flow in your parenting. There is a lot of unknown variables as a parent and in moments when your child is crying or you find yourself not sure of what to do, your anxiety can rise.

If you have the tools to be more mindful, however, and can be present and listen to your intuition, this will allow you to flow through those moments with more clarity and trust. For those of you who are already parents, it is never too late to begin this journey in creating a more centering space for your family in the decisions you make. Work with your partner/s to build this together - people tuned into their intuition is a powerful gift and will beautifully connect you both.

I believe in you all! Go out and practice that intuition, the gift you were born with! Create that firm foundation to build on in creating or beginning to expand your family through healthy mental health practices. 

Self-Care Tips for First-Time Mothers

To all you first-time Mothers trying to figure out how to hold your head above water and maintain a sense of direction in such an overwhelming space:

You have spent months preparing, read every book, taken classes, and still coming home with your newborn can feel so overwhelming and confusing. Your emotions split from an immense overwhelming joy and love you have never felt before with an innate instinct of worry to take care of your little one.

I want you to know you are not alone, many mothers have felt this same way and have struggled with how to balance themselves with the needs of their newborn and infant child as well as how to find balance with their partner.

I want you to know you are doing an amazing job, You are doing the best you can, and trust you know what to do. Let go of the small worries about: “did I miss my baby’s cues for eating, or what if I drop them when I am giving them a bath, or did I burp them enough, or are they getting enough calories or sleep, etc.” These are all important but don’t overwhelm yourself in this process.

The more you feel at peace and taken care of, your infant will respond to this and feel calmer and feel safe in their new environment. Your infant can sense your energy, the more at peace you can be, the more this will help your newborn adjust. 

Tips for taking care of yourself with a newborn/infant:

1) Take time for yourself (nap when they nap, delegate, as hard as it is, other tasks to your partner or support system, leave the house for an hour without your newborn, and do something that brings you joy). Get a manicure, go shopping, go to the beach, or hiking, see a friend for coffee. Do something to help you feel connected to yourself as an adult and reconnect you to your own identity. Journal for 5 minutes every few days, take a shower/bath, wake up before you infant to enjoy your time with yourself.  

2) Utilize bonding time as a way to re-center and connect with yourself and your newborn/infant (hold them and visualize while you breathe deeply the two of you wrapped in a blanket of white healing light and love, close your eyes and connect heart to heart with your baby). This will create a space of security for both you and your little one. 

3) Trust your instincts and intuitive guidance whether being maternal comes naturally to you or not. We all have our intuition. Use this and lean into it for your guidance (if you sense your infant needs to be rocked rather than swung, or snuggled instead of on their own, or is overly stimulated use this. By following this tip (and the one above), this will also allow you to hone in on this connection even deeper. Don’t doubt your intuition, trust if your newborn/infant is crying they will be ok it’s merely their way of speaking to you. Release your anxiety to fix it immediately this can often lead to overthinking. Take deep breaths open your heart center, create a peaceful space to hear clearly within, and connect with your infant and their needs. 

4) Take a break! If you are feeling overwhelmed, delegate to your support system. If there is no one there at the time, allow yourself 3-4 minutes to breathe (go to another room, scream in a pillow, cry, breathe deep, and recenter yourself. Your little one will thank you and you will thank you for this. It all stems back to energy, clearing your energy to a calm, loving space will help you both.  

5) Honor your time with your partner. Create time each day to connect even if it’s 5 minutes in the morning (hold space for each other in this transition). Spend quality one on one time with them either 1x/wk or 1 every 2/wk. This is so important to reconnect to your partner and have well-needed adult time. Schedule it on a calendar, make it a priority. 

6) Connect with other moms, through a social support group. 

Know you are doing an incredible job, You are not alone, and always reach out for support when you need it! You got this, trust yourself! I believe in you, you are an amazing mother!