If I could speak to myself as a brand new mum, I would say “Your day will not always feel out of your control.”
As a new mum, I had no semblance of routine; I would try to redeem a night’s missed sleep by sleeping as late as possible, then be dragged unwillingly from bed by my baby’s needs, with no time for my own. I started the day with anxiety, feeling physically shitty and mentally overwhelmed.
The contrast between my morning routines as a toddler mum versus an infant mum is immense.
Having a morning routine where I can care for myself and my family, set myself up for the day, and sort the home has profoundly improved my mental health and motherhood experience. As my son has grown, he’s become more independent and less in need of constant tending, so I have the space to carry out a morning routine. I write this as I’m expecting my second baby, knowing my time will soon be less my own, but I know it’s just a phase.
My morning routine has been a work in progress for years and is now guided by family life, modern science, and Dinacharya, the Ayurvedic morning routine.
WAKE UP 5am-6am
My wake-up time while pregnant has been all over the place. Some days, I feel fatigued and need all the sleep I can get, so I will sleep in while Chris gets up to look after Artie, who has always been an early riser. Since getting his toddler bed, Artie has glorified in exiting his room of his own volition and coming into our room. We tried in vain to instill in him a habit of staying in bed ‘until the sun is awake’, but it never stuck. One improvement is that he sometimes might hop into our bed and go back to sleep. If not, it’s up before sunrise! I love the cuddles, but I’m nervous about how a little bedroom interloper might impact a newborn.
On other days, the pregnancy insomnia hits. I wake up at night perhaps for Artie, to pee, or from pregnancy leg cramps and can’t get back to sleep at 3am. As annoying as this is, I enjoy the quiet and solitude of the wee hours.
BATHROOM
Immediately upon waking, I go to the toilet, wash my face with cold water, scrape my tongue, brush my hair, and blow my nose.
Ayurvedic principles say we ought to ‘evacuate the bowels’ each morning, ideally upon waking, as an indication of strong ‘agni’, our digestive fire.
Washing my face with cold water helps wake me up, makes me feel fresh, and I do it – even in winter – to trigger the vagus nerve and activate my parasympathetic nervous system. From new motherhood, I know how it feels to be in fight or flight from the first minute of your day, so these little tricks are handy.
Tongue scraping is an ancient Ayurvedic practice I’ve been doing for years. The tongue gives us feedback on the state of our internal system – if it’s particularly white and coated, this is a sign of ama, Ayurvedic for ‘toxic-buildup’.
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Tongue scraping removes the white coating caught on your tongue while sleeping. It gives you better breath and oral hygiene and improves your sense of taste. It also just makes me feel fresh and clean. I use a copper tongue scraper because it’s antimicrobial and antibacterial and I do this without eating or drinking anything first; otherwise, I imagine swallowing all that toxic buildup.
Ayurveda would have us perform neti each morning, the practice of pouring water from one nostril to the other using a neti pot, because blocked nasal passages can impact the flow of breath, prana, and energy. Think of all your bodily systems that benefit from optimal oxygen intake – neti optimises this. Blowing my nose is my 10-second nod to this practice.
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MAKE BEDS AND TIDY ROOMS
This step has been part of my morning routine since I was ten years old. I don’t feel settled if my bed isn’t made. As well as making the bed, I’ll put things back where they belong, hang up clothes, and open the window to let in sunlight and fresh air. This takes mere minutes but has a calming effect.
I’ll do the same in Artie’s room; he is sometimes keen to get involved in this, too; I like to create routines around self-care and responsibilities for him to learn.
HYDRATE AND SUNLIGHT
Now I feel clean and mentally settled. It’s time to hydrate. My first drink is:
- A pinch of kelp salt
- A splash of apple cider vinegar
- A dash of filtered water
It’s not the best flavour, so I throw it down in one gulp. Kelp is a source of iodine, while salt helps with hydration and has minerals. Then I take a big drink of water outside to see the sun (if it’s up) and a bit of nature in the backyard.
Morning sunlight tells my body it’s time to wake up, boosts my serotonin, and regulates my circadian rhythm to help me get quality sleep at night. Looking at nature makes me feel calm. I’m not out here long enough for my entire morning dose of the outdoors, but it’s a nice way to start the day.
BACK STRETCHES
Call me old, but my back usually feels tight in the morning, though a 10-minute stretch on Artie’s playmat sorts me out. My routine involves limbering my neck, shoulders, spine, and hips with yoga poses like cat-cow, child pose, downward dog, and forward fold.
LAUNDRY
A non-parent will never understand the never-ending laundry explosion of parenthood. My best tip – stick a load on a delay cycle at night! This way, the load is washed by 6am and you’re off to a good start.
BREAKFAST
Pregnancy is not the time to fast, and I delight in a big, nourishing breakfast. Chris and I will take turns cooking. Our favourite breakfasts lately are:
- Vegemite toast with avocado and poached eggs
- Oats with dates, seeds, peanut butter, fruit, and coconut yogurt.
- Pancakes made from eggs and bananas, topped with coconut yogurt, fruit, and maple syrup.
And always a cup of tea for me. This is my chance to read a book and try to maintain a boundary of not being climbed on while I’m eating. I truly love this part of the morning.
GET ARTIE READY FOR THE DAY
After a big meal and sitting down, it’s a struggle to get going again, but we’re under time pressure by now. Artie either has Grandma coming over to look after him, or daycare, or swimming lessons early each morning, so we have to get ready.
We’re in the midst of toilet training, so we encourage that, plus get a clean nappy, do the teeth brushing/face and hand cleaning battle, get him dressed, do the sunscreen battle, pack his bag, and, if needed, a lunchbox.
GET MYSELF READY FOR THE DAY
I do the bare minimum to leave the house. I’ll brush my teeth, pull my hair into a ponytail, put on sunscreen, and dress in the same maternity bike shorts or tights every day, along with a sports bra and top, trainers, and a cap.
SORT THE HOUSE A BIT
I try to squeeze in bits and bobs of housework at this point so it doesn’t creep into my workday. Anything that doesn’t get done before I leave the house will have to wait… Theoretically. I always end up doing domestic tasks during the day because I can’t help myself. I need to set boundaries; otherwise, my paid work makes way for cleaning, cooking, shopping, errand running, life admin, and whatever else captures my attention while working from home.
I like to have the laundry washed and hung out, the dishwasher unloaded and stacked, the benches clean, the water filter topped up, the rubbish and recycling taken out, and a semblance of household detritus returned to its rightful place. Bigger cleaning tasks are for another time.
DROP-OFF 7.20am
If Chris goes into the office, I’ll drop him at the train station and do the daycare drop-off. I feel fortunate that Artie thrives on social interaction, and it’s a rare day that he doesn’t want to be there. I like to stay and play for a little while and chat with the educators or other parents because it’s a lovely community environment.
GYM 8am
After daycare, I head to the gym. I need to go while already out of the house; otherwise, my motivation dips. Exercising early in the day stops me from feeling anxious. I will do a pregnancy-safe strength or cardio circuit, mobility, or do a prenatal yoga flow.
I’ve been very intentional this pregnancy to maintain strength around my pelvis to counteract instability from relaxin and to exercise regularly for my mental health. I’ve also had to modify all exercise because I have SPD (symphysis pubis dysfunction).
SHOWER AND PERSONAL CARE 9am
When I get home from the gym, I jump in the shower and try to stand under cold water at the end and practice deep breathing. This is great in summer, otherwise I’m not very disciplined with the cold. Then I do my skincare, put on natural deodorant, brush my hair, and put on tinted SPF, lip balm, and eyebrow gel. I’d love to be the woman who dresses in something chic, but I can’t justify the effort while sitting at a desk alone all day, so it’s typically sweat shorts and a tank. I also have to wear a pregnancy belly band day and night to keep my pelvis stable – I can’t wait for that to be over!
COFFEE 9.30am
I’ve been running on that early-morning buzz, but now it’s time for coffee. I don’t drink coffee daily; sometimes I forget and am more of a tea gal. But it’s a nice routine. We use a moka pot, so I’ll use espresso to make an iced latte.
PLAN MY DAY AND START WORK
I’m a fiend for lists and planning. I have to prioritise my time between my job and my business. I’ve just finished studying an Entrepreneurship and New Business certification.
By this stage, my morning routine is complete. I don’t do everything every day, and even with all this effort and structure, I’ll still look around the house and feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface of things that need attention. But a somewhat-ordered environment, decent sleep, personal care, hydration, nature, movement, nourishing food, and prioritising my workload make me feel happy and healthy.
