MOLI VIEW™

At 39, as an older first-time mother, I spent a good portion of my daughter's first year feeling bewildered and reproachful. "Why didn't anyone tell me it was going to be like this?" I wailed. Sleep-deprived and overwhelmed, I wanted support from everyone. My relationship with my husband deteriorated, the apartment was a mess, and my hair went unwashed for days. One of the only places of sure-fire solace was my yoga practice — but even that had changed. I was 30 minutes late for my first mother-baby yoga class, and I nursed for half the class.

Becoming a mother is both extraordinary and terribly demanding. On the one hand, you are blessed with a new being who has just leapt the border into life. On the other, you are at the beck and call of your baby and are getting far less sleep than usual. All of this right after giving birth, which can require about four weeks of healing — or two months-plus if it was a cesarean delivery. You might have pelvic or hamstring ligaments that were pulled out of whack during pregnancy. Constantly bending over to nurse and hold even one wee child can quickly take its toll on your neck, shoulders, and lower back.

» Check out the article