Why self care should be number one for mums
A baby means you must look after yourself too
LIKE most new mums, Aoibhíín Garrihy admits she had a shock to the system when baby Hanorah (now seven months) arrived.
And since then her life has changed dramatically for the better. ‘I wonder what I did with my time beforehand and why I didn’t do more,’ Aoibhín laughs.
‘You learn to be very efficient — very economical with your time and super organised. Women are amazing.’
These days there’s so much pressure on women to be perfect, but for Aoibhín, the health of Hanorah was a priority.
‘The fact that Hanorah was healthy and was such a great baby for eating and sleeping and all those things you hope for made me feel so blessed,’ she says. ‘The fact that I was feeding her myself was a priority and being able to nurse her meant I had to make sure I didn’t deprive myself of stuff.
‘I guess I made a point of being as active as I was prepregnancy. I tried to keep that up afterwards.
‘It’s not as easy as you don’t have the same amount of time as before to get out for your 30 minute walks or your swim. Our families are very supportive and there were times when they were hooshing me out the door as I didn’t want to leave the baby but I was grateful for it afterwards.
‘It wasn’t about getting my figure back but I was grateful to just have that time for me and the exercise also helped re-energise me.’
In fact, self care is the basis of Aoibhín’s new business Beo which encourages women to look after themselves in a holistic way.
‘It’s more about feeling healthy,’ she says about her new role as a mum. ‘For me, my approach to being active has changed. Before I would have worked out to look a certain way but it was my husband really who kinds of introduced me to what getting out into the outdoors can do for you and how it can be therapy.
‘Nature is incredible and having that on our doorstep on the coast is my new outlet. It’s not so much the gym now, it’s more time in the outdoors, whether that’s trekking or swimming or hiking. And it’s more about Hanorah — you can’t serve from an empty vessel and self care is not selfish. You have to be able to replenish the cup in order to look after others.’
Aoibhín has just helped Lloyds Pharmacy launch their Change Your Health Direction initiative, a free eight-week programme offering people the chance to kick-start their health with a personal transformation plan, and make long term improvements in areas from smoking cessation and nutrition advice to weight management.
The programme is available across 91 stores nationwide. Pharmacist Laura Dowling says: ‘This is open to everyone for free — no matter what their issue, anyone can come in and get their blood pressure, weight and BMI checked for free. You can get advice on stopping smoking and help with nutritional supplements if you feel you are not getting enough vitamins and minerals from your diet.
‘There’s a lot of misinformation out there and in a Lloyds Pharmacy branch you can speak to someone who knows what they are talking about. It’s a good way to start if you want to make changes to your health.’