During pregnancy, your body makes a hormone called relaxin to make your joints looser for your growing baby. Relaxin plus weight gain can sometimes make your feet slightly bigger for five months after delivery. And in some moms these changes can persist for much longer. Also this can contribute to joint pains. Try low impact stretches and exercises (like walking) to prevent your joints from aching.

Everyone needs people in their lives to talk about what they are experiencing. With a new baby, it's much easier to relate to other parents since it is a unique experience and the challenges are often similar. It’s important to not only focus on your baby but to discuss the common joys and challenges of motherhood with other parents. This helps to normalize the experience. However, it can be hard to make new friends. We recommend either looking in your neighborhood for mommy baby classes at your local library, checking out breastfeeding cafes, reaching out to religious organizations, or any other community organization that serves families. Chatting with another parent at the park or your child's day care can be much easier than you think and very helpful.

Many mothers had difficult times growing up, and sometimes when they're tired, the feelings come back. If you ever felt rejected or treated badly by your parents, those experiences may still affect you or influence your present day relationships. The best way to cope is to talk about it. Find someone you trust, and tell them the story of your childhood (the good and the bad). You may also want to find a counselor or a trusted professional to unpack any unresolved feelings from your childhood. Talking about these experiences helps us put them to rest, so the ghosts do not pop up in our parenting.