Milena Djankovich on the Importance of Self-Care for New Moms and How to Achieve It

A lot of new moms easily get overwhelmed with all the responsibilities of childcare and family care that they tend to forget one of the most important people in their lives — themselves.  Keep in mind that a mother who finds time for herself to exercise, meet up with friends, or shop for new clothes should not be branded as selfish. According to RockerMama co-founder Milena Djankovich, self-care needs to be one of the priorities for new mothers for them to remain healthy, both physically and mentally. Here are some reasons why self-care is vital for new moms, and a few ways on how they can achieve it.

Stress, lack of sleep, possible post-partum depression, weight gain, and a shrinking social life, these are just some of the problems that new mothers face within their first year of motherhood.  Even with a great husband, the mother still takes over a large chunk of child-care responsibility. According to Milena Djankovich, self-care is now more than ever, an important aspect of a mother’s life that she shouldn’t ignore.

For example, exercise is crucial to keep oneself healthy. Even pregnant women can manage to squeeze in workouts here and there. But new mothers will find it hard to get back to their old regimen. This is why it’s necessary to come up with a new routine that revolves around childcare. According to Milena Djankovich, even just a few minutes should be enough for a quick exercise.

Another aspect of self-care that is difficult to manage is the social side of life. Moms can’t stay out late like they could before having a baby. In fact, they have problems finding time to go out at all. This is where technology helps the most, notes Milena Djankovich .  Besides connecting to friends and family, mothers can also connect to new communities like the RockerMama community to look for advice, share her experience, and learn more about motherhood.

The least noticeable element of self-care caters to the emotional health of mothers. According to Milena Djankovich, the entire pregnancy changes a mother physically and emotionally. Dealing with mental health problems like depression requires professional help. Mothers need not feel ashamed if they feel the need to talk to a professional to help with their mental health.

Mothers do have to keep in mind the difference between self-care and indulgence, says Milena Djankovich. Eating something that’s quite unhealthy but extremely tasty like fast food or anything deep-fried shouldn’t be seen as self-care. However, people sometimes feel like they are entitled to more of the tasty but unhealthy stuff after having gone through a lot.  This is where the lines blur between self-care and indulgence, notes Milena Djankovich.

Milena Djankovich has a political science degree with a concentration in communications and media from DePaul University. She and her family are currently based in Orange County, California. To learn more about Milena, visit this page.