Looking after yourself
Our mental health can be affected by physical changes in our bodies too. If you’ve experienced a traumatic birth, you’re in pain, or you’re sleep deprived, this can cause you to struggle, and can make challenges with your mental health feel worse.
Here are some ways you can help look after your physical health, which may also help your mental health.
Try and get some sleep
– being sleep deprived can have a big impact on your mental health.
Get some daylight and fresh air
– the artificial or dimmed lights of the unit can feel harsh or disorientating.
Eat regularly and get enough to drink
– not having the energy your body needs from food and drink can make it harder to face challenges with your mental health.
Get some exercise
– even a short walk can help.
Try doing some breathing exercises
– find out more from NHS Choices about how some techniques can help with stress.
Try mindfulness or meditation – find out more from NHS Choices about how learning to be more present in the moment could help you.
Take time for yourself
We know that keeping families and babies together is good for both of them, and Bliss supports and empowers parents to be involved in their baby’s care on the neonatal unit.
But we also hear very different experiences from parents when it comes to spending time on the unit and how this impacts their mental health. Some parents will want to spend all the time they can with their baby, and others might find it very difficult to be there all the time.
Having a baby on the unit can be very intense, and just like when anyone has just had a baby, it is important that parents get some time for themselves.
It can feel hard to prioritise this as a parent, especially when your baby is unwell and you are separated from them.
But finding small amounts of time regularly to do something which makes you feel more like yourself can really help.
Some people find it helpful to make time to think and talk about 'ordinary life' outside of the unit and their baby. Meeting friends and family to catch up can be a good way to get some space.
We all have different things we do which make us feel like ourselves. Making time to keep doing these can help keep some familiar structure to your new routine on the unit. Here are some things other parents have found helpful:
