Pregnancy, childbirth and the sleepless nights that come with caring for a newborn can take a toll on your physical health and emotional well-being. New mums can feel exhausted, experience a decline in self-confidence and crave a little time for themselves as they and their household adjusts to the life-changing impact of welcoming a new little person into the family.

Looking after yourself is so important when you have a baby to care for, yet new mums often feel pangs of guilt when it comes to carving out time for themselves. However, as Eleanor Brown said, 'Self-care is not selfish. You cannot serve from an empty vessel.' Review your current level of well-being and give attention to those areas that are feeling strained or impacting your health and mood. Here are three examples of natural ways to improve your well-being after having a baby:

Invest In Chiropractic Adjustment

During pregnancy, your spine can move out of alignment due to the release of the hormone relaxin. This hormone loosens your ligaments in preparation for labour, but as your bump grows, these loose ligaments can leave you without sufficient support in your back. Additionally, newborns don't tend to enjoy being put down, so back and shoulder pain can occur as a result of carrying your baby around.

A chiropractor can perform manual adjustments to realign your spine, loosen tight muscles and free trapped nerves. This hands-on technique uses a combination of high-velocity adjustments and firm massage strokes, and your chiropractor may also give you some simple exercises to do at home to strengthen your back. These exercises take only a couple of minutes to do and can be done anywhere, so you won't have to find time to commit to a lengthy, complex regime.

Consult A Nutritionist

There a number of reasons a new mum may benefit from seeing a nutritionist. Perhaps the weight you gained during pregnancy is impacting your self-confidence, or perhaps you're worried about consuming enough nutrients from your diet while you're breastfeeding. Nutritionists can also help you identify specific nutrients you are lacking in. For example, many women experience brittle hair in the months following childbirth, and a nutritionist can analyse your diet and make dietary recommendations to ensure you're getting enough of the vitamins required for healthy hair, such as biotin and vitamin E.  

Book An Aromatherapy Massage

An aromatherapy massage is the ideal way to treat yourself if you're feeling weary and stressed. The massage strokes used for this type of massage are much gentler than those used for Swedish massage, so you should feel relaxed by the end of it. Your massage therapist will ask you how you're feeling before the massage begins and choose aromatherapy massage oils accordingly. For example, if you feel stressed, they may recommend chamomile, lavender, bergamot or ylang ylang oils are added to the base oil they will use during your massage. These oils are considered relaxing and beneficial for reducing tension and anxiety. If you have muscle fatigue, you may benefit from eucalyptus oil, which is considered an anti-inflammatory, or rosemary oil, which is said to have analgesic properties.

These are just a few examples of how you can invest in your own health and wellness after having a baby. Give some thought to what you enjoy and what you feel your body needs right now, and try to be as responsive as you can to your own needs in the season of life you're in right now.