If you give birth during the winter period

Giving birth during the winter period

Let's be honest, it's not the easiest time to give birth or to be in confinement. Giving birth in spring, summer, or even early autumn, is much nicer. Then you can go outside with your little one. The walks I took in the spring after the birth of my baby were countless. Going outside without a coat, the sun on your face, truly wonderful. But what if you have to give birth in late autumn, or even in the middle of winter? Then there's no pleasant temperature waiting for you outside. No, then it's often intensely cold, rainy, and if you're unlucky, also slippery. Then you really don't look forward to having to go outside. You'd rather stay inside. Nice, cocooning with your newborn baby and partner. Cozy under a blanket on the couch, sipping a cup of tea or hot chocolate. That's exactly the crux, you end up staying inside a lot.

Become isolated

So much so, that as a new mother you can become quite isolated from the rest of the world at a certain point. If you're not already on cloud nine after giving birth, this certainly doesn't help. Because, mothers with postpartum depression often tend to start avoiding everything. Going outside, seeking company, doing fun things. And it's precisely those things that can really help you recover. Avoidance behavior in new mothers is something I often encounter in practice. It's understandable, because if you're not feeling happy, you naturally want to avoid anything that feels unpleasant. It's not strange that you exhibit avoidant behavior. However, it's serious if it pulls you further into gloom. That's a pity, because distraction, in any form, is actually very helpful in getting out of your slump. If you already have one or more children, you'll need to go outside more often, because he or she needs to go to school, for example, or wants to go to the playground. That might make the step of going outside a bit smaller.

Try to go outside anyway

Whether you're not on cloud nine after giving birth, or just experiencing a major case of the winter blues, it doesn't matter. The same applies to both: you want to get rid of it as soon as possible. So: go outside anyway. Put on your thickest sweater and your nicest coat, wrap your scarf around your head, put on a hat and if necessary extra ear warmers. If it's too cold, leave your child with your husband or a babysitter, but go outside! Take a nice walk, with a friend or just by yourself. Breathe in the cold air, look around and afterwards reward yourself with a nice lunch with that same friend or go for some enjoyable shopping. In any case, choose not to isolate yourself any longer because the weather isn't nice, or because you just don't feel like doing anything. Do choose to take on the challenge, pull yourself out of your comfort zone and get out there. You don't have to go ice skating for hours on end until your toes nearly freeze off, just because I say so. But see what is feasible for you.

POSTNATAL COACH TILDA