How I Started Reclaiming Myself After Baby: A Postpartum Healing Journey for Creative Moms

After I had my daughter, I felt a shift no one really prepared me for. Of course, I expected sleepless nights and round-the-clock feedings — but I didn’t expect to feel like I had lost me. I felt like I was surviving motherhood, but not living.

I love being a mom — truly. My daughter is everything. But somewhere in the depths of new motherhood, I forgot what it felt like to just be a woman, a creative, a human. That’s where my postpartum healing journey began — not by going back to who I was before baby, but by gently reclaiming who I am now.

This is what I call The Second Bloom.

Here is how I started:

1. I created small self-care rituals

Simple things like washing my face, putting on real clothes, or having five minutes of silence in the morning before the chaos began — they reminded me that I was still here. I didn’t need a spa day. I just needed to be seen.

2. I made space for creativity again

I’ve always loved making things — soaps, crochet, baking, sewing. But with a newborn, time is limited. So I found creative ways to be creative: crocheting during contact naps, painting while she colors, baking sourdough bread with my daughter on my hip. These creative hobbies became a lifeline.

3. I stopped waiting to feel like “myself again”

Postpartum healing isn't linear. I learned that I didn’t need to feel inspired before I started. Sometimes, the healing came after the action. Even five minutes of crocheting or stretching helped me feel grounded.

4. I included my daughter in the healing

Sure, some things were just for me. But some of my favorite moments were when I invited my daughter into the experience: dancing in the kitchen, doing toddler yoga, or cooking together. She became part of my second bloom.

5. I gave myself permission to evolve

I let go of the pressure to “bounce back.” I didn’t need to return to the old me. I was becoming someone new — softer, wiser, still creative, still ambitious. Just… different. And I realized that was okay.

This is what reclaiming yourself after baby can look like — gentle, slow, creative, and real. If you're a tired mom wondering where to start, I want you to know: You are not lost. You are in bloom.

If no one has told you today: You’re allowed to take up space. To change. To rest. To rediscover yourself.