Since what seems like forever I’ve wanted to be a morning person. Before babies and marriage it was mostly about knocking out my workout. I loved the idea of waking up with the sun, getting my workout in, and leaving the rest of the day open. Over my adult life I’ve had many tried and failed attempts to be a morning person. I’d do well for a while, something would throw me off for a day or two and then the whole thing collapsed.
It took becoming a mom for me to truly find my why, change my ways, and stick to it. And it became about more than a workout for me. My morning routine is my sanity-saving, health-boosting, become-a-better-me time. I thrive on mornings and I am certain I am a better mom, wife, and coworker when I spend time on myself each morning — I can literally feel the difference my mind and my body.
Because I’m such a morning advocate, I’ve gotten this question more than a few times over the past few months…
“What are you going to do about your morning routine once your baby is born?”
And the answer is very simple. There will be no morning routine for a while after our baby is born. I will turn off all expectations of a morning routine and soak up every minute of sleep and every minute of mama time with that baby possible.
Newborn stage is not the time to add stress or to try and be superwoman. It’s the time to rest, to bond, to watch morning talk shows, and to reheat your coffee 20 times in a single morning. Heck, I watched all five seasons of Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce in the first week of maternity leave with Hayes. I want mindless tv and naps and a whole lot of grace. There’s no room for guilt or unnecessary pressure.
I’ll let you in on a little secret…
My morning routine has already changed during this pregnancy! In the first trimester I was sick and did nothing in the morning. And over the last several weeks I have been battling insomnia. I can’t get myself to actually fall asleep. Once I get to bed I can wake up 18 times to pee in the middle of the night and still fall back asleep, but getting to sleep is like torture. It’s a circular conversation with myself that takes hours to end.
I will get back to my morning routine
I am not worried about getting back to my morning routine because I know I will. It might take a while. In fact, it probably will take a while. Sleep is such an important factor in a successful morning routine and sleep is usually tough to come by during newborn time. But I have grown into a level of trust with my morning routine that takes the pressure waaaaay down. I know my why. I know how amazing it feels when I do my morning routine. And I know that if I miss a day because I only got 4 hours of sleep or I choose to sleep in for a week straight because I’m on vacation enjoying late night bonfires and extra morning snuggles with my husband, it’s not the end of the world because I know my why and I know I’ll get right back after it.
So, what’s the plan?
Honestly there isn’t much of a plan. The only thing I have thought about is the fact that sleep is a critical factor and most likely I won’t get seriously about morning routine until that little nugget is sleeping through the night or at least on a very reliable schedule.
Since I established my morning routine after having Hayes, I’m in uncharted territory. What I’m most excited about is the fact that I get to live through figuring this out, share the journey with all of you, and maybe even figure out how to help other moms get back to a success morning routine, packed full of me time, after baby too.