I recently told my best friend that I would like to get a job where I would get paid to eat. When she asked what I meant, I replied
“My current job (the job of ‘mom’) is one where I NEVER get to eat, because I am always feeding someone else.”
And its true. As a new mom, I find that I am constantly taking care of my son, leaving me no room to take care of myself. By the end of the day I am exhausted because I have been attending to another human being’s needs all day and ignoring my own. People who don’t have children can be sympathetic to this feeling, but they can’t really understand it until they are in the situation for themselves.
But now more than ever I realize how important it is to take care of myself. I realized this because I haven’t been doing it. Most days I forget to eat at least one meal.
As a mom, it is so important to attend to your own needs. I have found that if I neglect myself, I don’t have the energy to be there for my son in the way that he needs me to be. And that disappoints me.
So the solution; eat. And remember to do it. The best time to eat is when your baby is eating; that way you don’t have to think about when to do it. It will be automatic.