How Breastfeeding Mommas can Find Me-Time During the Holidays

The Christmas season is one of the most anticipated events in the Philippines. Pero minsan, it could also be one of the most stressful lalo na sa ‘ting mga breastfeeding mommas. Madalas, kahit busy tayo taking care of and breastfeeding baby, our family still depends on us for all the holiday preparations. This is even more challenging for those with newborn babies. The good news is, busy as we may be, there is still a way to make it more manageable to create time for self-care.

The health crisis has admittedly given us new-found realizations on what really matters in life. Sanay man tayo sa engrandeng handaan, generous gifting at walang katapusang parties during the holidays, now, we can do away with the non-essentials to focus on the more important things in life while still allowing us to practice self-care. With a little adjustment and smart-multi-tasking, our Christmas preparations can double as self-care time for us breastfeeding mommas.

Here are some helpful tips to achieving that during the holidays:

Practice self-care while decorating

Forget about buying and wasting time looking for and setting up Christmas decors. Now, we can make use of all the photos of our baby and our young family that we’ve taken from the time our baby came into this world. Kasama na diyan ang mga decent shots of our early breastfeeding days. Being able to look back at those tender moments will not only relax us but will also give us loads of joy. As we know, pag happy tayong mga nursing mommas, more breastmilk for baby. Simply hang the photos using clothespins and festive ribbons and we’ve got ourselves meaningful decors. Naka-decorate na, nakapag me-time pa!

Reconnect with loved ones via online reunions

If there’s one thing that we cannot live without during the Christmas season, it’s spending time with those we hold dear. The bonus is, spending time with our friends or family, whether having LOL moments or having meaningful conversations, albeit online, is one self-care activity that can do wonders for us breastfeeding mommas. Aside from the general feeling of being loved, it’s a good stress reliever.

To make it work for us, be the first to suggest schedules so we can calendar it around our free time when we’re not nursing our little one. We can tandem with our responsible friends or sisses who can take care of sending out invites and organizing the program to help lessen our worries and lighten our load.

Keep those good vibes flowing with gifting

Essential to successfully breastfeeding baby is having a constant supply of positivity within and around us. When we give gifts, no matter how simple, we start a chain of happiness which comes back to us. Putting smiles across our loved ones’ faces through gifts can actually give us joy which in turn can help us produce more breastmilk for baby. A useful tip to make gift-giving more efficient and easier for us is to group names in our Chrsitmas gift-list according to themes and buy in bulk online. Nature lovers will appreciate plants or seedling kits, health buffs will love yoga mats or dri-fit shirts, kids will enjoy indoor teepees or inflatable pools, while artistically inclined nephews and nieces will get excited over blank canvass and basic acrylic paints and brushes.

Revisit your favorite hobby

When we started in our momma journey, a lot of us had to give up our hobbies. The holidays is actually a good opportunity for us breastfeeding mommas to practice self-care by doing what we love in between nursing. Baking is one such hobby that doubles as self-care time while solving the problem of what to give for Christmas. It allows us to focus while easing away tension. Homemade goodies are always appreciated. Konting adjustments lang, pwede nang gawing customized to suit our recipients. Add loads of chocolate chips for chocoholics, nuts for those who like a bit of crunch, or oats at gawing sugar-free para sa mga health-conscious. Mapa-baking or crafting, our DIY gifts will always bring cheer to others while giving us happy hormones to help in our breastmilk production for our baby.

Simplify to self-love

From taking care of and breastfeeding baby to showing our love for our family, tayong mga nursing mommas, mahilig i-kareer ang mga bagay-bagay. However, sometimes, it is by saying no to our perfectionist self that we are able to achieve self-love. Though nasanay tayo sa lavish Noche Buena at overflowing Christmas lunch and dinner spreads, we can remind ourselves that abundance doesn’t have to mean having a full table but a full heart. By simplifying our tasks, we can find more time to relax, which in turn can benefit baby. There is no shame in ordering food in advance kung ang kapalit naman nito ay breather for us this December and more bonding time with family.

By following the tips above, we can get to enjoy more self-care time and experience true joy this Christmas. Kapag less stressed and anxious at may more time for self and family, our holidays will be more meaningful at more memorable din for everyone. Whichever suggestion you choose to follow, know that NESTLÉ^® MOMMALOVE^® is here to help make Christmas for us breastfeeding mommas the most wonderful time of the year!