The Body Part Every Mom Overlooks After Giving Birth
Jenny Hughes, mother of a ten-month-old boy, shared her experience of how caring for a newborn completely overshadowed the care of her hands, until the dryness became unbearable.
Jenny Hughes, mother of a ten-month-old boy, shared her experience of how caring for a newborn completely overshadowed the care of her hands, until the dryness became unbearable.
Jenny Hughes, who published her piece on Parents.com, believed before her baby arrived that the most demanding part of the entire process would be the delivery itself, while she thought recovery would be fairly easy. She planned to rest, sleep, drink plenty of water, and take walks. However, the reality of the first weeks after childbirth was completely different, and the focus on physical recovery extended to her whole body, including one often-neglected part-her hands.
Her main priority was caring for her newborn. Feeding, changing diapers, and soothing the baby took up all her attention. Right after that came her own recovery from a fourth-degree tear, which involved frequent sitz baths. She focused on staying hydrated and eating well to have energy for breastfeeding and caring for her child, despite chronic sleep deprivation.
She kept her nails trimmed short to avoid scratching the baby's delicate skin, and she showered strictly for hygiene. After showering, she would apply lotion to her face, arms, and legs, but her hands, as she admits, were always at the bottom of the priority list.
Her hands had never been so dry in her life. The skin on her fingers literally stuck to fabric. Due to a combination of hormonal changes, breastfeeding, lack of sleep, and stress, her skin became completely dry, and caring for the baby further worsened the condition. Although she generally had dry skin, the state of her palms became unbearable. The feeling of rough hands against the baby's perfectly soft skin prompted her to make a change.
To ensure she drank enough water, Hughes placed water bottles all around her apartment. She applied the same tactic with hand cream. Wherever there was a water bottle, she also placed lotion-on the couch, by the rocking chair, on the nightstand, in the diaper bag, in the car, and next to every sink. She often used baby lotion to avoid irritating the baby's skin, which she was constantly in contact with.
As soon as she sat in the car, she would apply cream to her hands. When the baby fell asleep, she would apply it again. Before going to bed-same thing. The only condition she had to watch out for was not putting her hands in the baby's mouth right after applying, so the baby wouldn't ingest any lotion that hadn't been absorbed yet.
Ever since she started moisturizing her hands during the first weeks after giving birth, Jenny Hughes hasn't stopped. Cream is still on every sink, in the car, on her desk, by the bed, and in the diaper bag. Her son is now a lively ten-month-old and no longer a fragile newborn, but she still makes sure her hands are soft. Her experience shows how important it is not to neglect your own body while adjusting to a new role and caring for a child.
