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Wellbeing and self-care

Self-care tips for expecting and new parents

Mum holding baby up and kissing on the cheek

Having a baby is life-changing. It can deliver a lot of love, joy and fulfilment but it can also create demands and responsibilities that feel relentless, difficult and scary.

Sometimes, parents have difficulty adjusting to the many physical, emotional, psychological and social challenges of parenting.

On the helpline, we hear from parents who are consumed by caring for their children and doing a wonderful job of it. But self-care has become a low priority.

We know that the stress, interrupted sleep and 24-hour demands can take their toll. But they become more manageable when we are able to care for and nurture ourselves too.

Some aspects of self-care are covered here, including sleep, diet, exercise, time out and social supports.

Helpful Information

Mum seeing doctor with baby
Talking to your doctor
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1

Sleep

2

Eating

3

Exercise and getting outdoors

4

Social network

5

Time out

6

Mental health / professional support

Mental health checklist

How are you going?

Everyone’s experience of pregnancy, birth and parenting is unique and brings different rewards and challenges. Our mental health checklist can help you to see if what you’re experiencing or observing in a loved one could be reason to seek help.

Checklist for

Expecting Mums
Expecting Dads and Non-birth Parents
New Mums
New Dads and Non-birth Parents
Partners and Carers

Wellbeing and self care factsheet
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How are you going?

Everyone’s experience of pregnancy, birth and parenting is unique and brings different rewards and challenges. Our mental health checklist can help you to see if what you’re experiencing or observing in a loved one could be a reason to seek help.