I love working with children, it’s one of the reasons I went into pediatrics. But once I was in the field for a while I realized that supporting parents was my life’s work. I realized this even before becoming a mom myself, but now that I have been on this journey I realize more and more that we are not supposed to parent alone.
We all thought self-care was important to motherhood for years, but now evidence is starting to catch up. Recent research has found that children whose mothers have insomnia symptoms fall asleep later, get less sleep, and spend less time in deep sleep (Natalie Urfer-Maurer, Rebekka Weidmann, Serge Brand, Edith Holsboer-Trachsler, Alexander Grob, Peter Weber, Sakari Lemola, 2017).
Focusing on our children is always more second nature than focusing on ourselves. So many of my googling hours are spent searching on ways I can help my kids do this or that. But what if the time we spend on ourselves actually means better health for our entire family?
To me, the journey of motherhood is analogous with tending to a garden. From the moment you plant a seed, the process of cultivation begins. For that seed to have the best chance to thrive, it needs a nurturing, optimally-prepared environment. How we nurture and prepare our children starts with us. How we model our own self-care to our children is crucial to continuing that dialogue.
Shelley Kemmerer, PA-C and Founder of Run Tell Mom, L.L.C.
We need to do better! Who is taking care of you, mama? In order to find the best resources available, I chatted with Shelley of Run Tell Mom, who offers maternal wellness consulting. She is a PA-C and maternal wellness consultant who helps to mother the mother in a time of deep need. Being overwhelmed by all you have to do is a very common cause of sleep disruption for new moms. She can help you focus on what YOU need, so that come to the end of the day you don’t feel overwhelmed and can have a good nights’ sleep. When you sleep well your whole family can too!
And on the topic of maternal sleep and prioritizing sleep for yourself, be sure to check out my new Youtube video all on setting a sleep routine for yourself using the new Hatch Restore Clock!
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