Having a newborn baby at home is the most exhilarating time of your life, but it is also a time of great stress. Specifically, a mother goes through so much during and after giving birth. As a result, many new moms experience postpartum depression. Therefore, taking the necessary steps to stay on top of your mental health for you and your baby is key.

Here are six ideas to help new mothers improve emotional and mental well-being.

1. Think About Your Needs

To take the best care of your baby, you must first care for yourself. By putting your needs first, you enhance your ability to handle the stressors of becoming a new parent. For this reason, sleeping when the baby sleeps is sound advice to take. Although getting adequate rest seems like a trick, learning how to get newborn to sleep ensures you get in your naps.

Getting outdoors to take in the fresh air is another great way to improve your mood. Being outdoors for at least ten to 20 minutes is ideal, so load your baby up and go for a walk. In addition to the outdoors, take the time to pamper yourself with a bubble bath, light a lavender candle or watch your favorite movie. Just take a minute to remind yourself that you are doing the best you can, and that is good enough. 

2. Take the Time To Build a Bond

The unshakable attachment that develops between parents and children is known as an emotional bond. When you successfully bond, your child feels secure enough to develop properly, which influences how they interact and build friendships throughout their lives. Therefore, you develop a strong bond when you pay attention and respond to your child's emotional cues, such as picking them up and soothing them when they cry. Being their reliable source of solace enables your child to learn to control their emotions and behaviors, which aids their cognitive development.

3. Do Skin to Skin Contact With Your Baby

Whether you are breast or formula-feeding your new baby, feed them for the first several hours while doing skin to skin. This contact relaxes not only you but also your baby. In addition, there are advantages of skin-to-skin, such as decreased crying, more extended sleeping periods, easier regulation of their body temperature and better brain development.

4. Be Sure To Massage Your Baby

Touch is one of the essential parts of your child's growth, aiding in the bonding process. In women with postpartum depression, baby massage has shown a reduction in the intensity of symptoms. So, sign up for a class, look up material online or read a book to learn how to massage your infant properly.

5. Build Yourself a Supportive Network

As a human, you are a sociable creature thriving on interaction. Positive social contacts and emotional support have a safeguarding role in reducing stress and coping with life's challenges. But, new mothers often experience feelings of isolation and loneliness as they adjust to their new roles. According to research, seclusion causes severe sadness, a sense of alienation and not belonging. These reasons are why you need a support system to call on when you feel down.

6. Remember To Sing and Smile at Your Baby

Between the first six to 12 weeks, your baby loses the smile reflex and offers you the first genuine smile all on their own. According to research, once a mother watches her baby smile, the parts of her brain connected with the reward center light up.

Singing also has other benefits for your baby. When you sing to your baby, it has the same effect as reading to them or playing with them to keep them entertained. Singing can also be more effective than listening to a recording as it provides sensory stimulation.

Properly dealing with your mental health is beneficial for you, but it is also helpful for your baby. Be mindful of your needs, and when you feel a little off, call on your support system. Following these few simple steps puts you on the right path to a better you.