Social media is an integral part of our lives is an understatement. We have started living our lives in a virtual world, connected to millions of people around the world and consume content like never before. It is fast, it is convenient, and it gives you answers no doubt. But what is the price we are paying for this convenience?

The good of social media:

Being a new mother, the anonymity of social media helps us connect with other mothers going through the same and one can share personal difficulties and feel lighter. The search engines can help us navigate bumps in the road and get help by online tutorials. Definitely a thumbs up.

The bad of social media

1. The stress of knowing too much: While the online tutorial, how-to videos and articles can be a great help, but they can also be counter-productive as it can make us more tensed on reading too much in detail. And Google has its way of giving us the scariest diagnoses! Also some of the videos could be wrong info and do remember fake information spreads way faster on the internet than true.
2. The disturbed sleep cycle: A new mother barely gets any sleep in the first few months and that too is broken. The blue light from the phone mimics daylight and confuses our brain into assuming night hasn't set yet. The hormones responsible for calming us into rest are not released the way they should because of the screen light. In addition time spent on social media just flies! You will be anyway awake for long hours in the night, breastfeeding and social media is the easiest distraction and tool to keep you company. Be wary of this trap social media has set for you.

How to counter it:

• Don't check your social media for more than an hour at night.
• Teach yourself how to breastfeed lying down. Your back and your sleep will thank you for it. Once you and your baby can get the hang of breastfeeding lying down, you will naturally get more sleep at night and spend less time on social media scrolling.
• If you haven't mastered breastfeeding lying down then also there is trick to get rest. Just shut your eyes while sitting and feeding. Even if you don't get sleep, just some shut eye goes a longer way in recharging your tired brain than staying awake checking your Instagram.

The Ugly side of social media:

1. Social media is addictive has been proven in many studies and has been shown elegantly in the Netflix documentary the Social Dilemma. That validation that you get after getting likes and comments on baby's pic that you posted on Facebook is comparable in effect to the high you get from a drug. And just like a drug, your body will crave this “validation high” over and over again.
2. The stress of not getting enough social media validation and comparing oneself to influencers can badly affect a new mother's self-worth and mental health. More and more new mothers compare themselves to other influencers, their perfect bodies and feel self-conscious. A negative body image can lead to consuming less food and trying to embark on a weight loss journey too soon. This can lead to poor physical recovery and even depression (if adequate nutrition is not taken in the first 3 months after delivery)
3. Social media can also make you fat: The white light from your phones mimics daylight and asks your body to produce less melatonin because the body believes that it isn’t night yet. This hormone melatonin is responsible for us feeling fresh during the day and groggy as the night sets in. Going online when your baby is keeping you awake at night messes up with your body clock. In addition, such a messed-up body clock produces less of the satiety hormone leptin. This hormone gives you satisfaction on eating your meal and reduces your appetite. Over many days, as your leptin keeps waning because of ni The white light from your phones mimics daylight and asks your body to produce less melatonin because the body believes that it isn’t night yet. This hormone melatonin is responsible for us feeling fresh during the day and groggy as the night sets in. Going online when your baby is keeping you awake at night messes up with your body clock. In addition, such a messed-up body clock produces less of the satiety hormone leptin. This hormone gives you satisfaction on eating your meal and reduces your appetite. Over many days, as your leptin keeps waning because of night time exposure to light, your appetite is also going out of control and so is your waistline. Night time exposure to light, your appetite is also going out of control and so is your waistline.
   
   The stress of not getting enough validation from your online circle and comparing oneself to others online can increase a new mother’s stress levels. Long term stress leads to increased production of the stress hormone Cortisol. This hormone is responsible for depositing fat in our belly region. Since stress in caveman times meant uncertain food supply so fat gets stored by the stress hormone as an evolutionary development.

How to counter it:

• Obviously reduce your screen time and try to post less on social media.
• A new update on many phones is the night light feature. It is a yellowish light rather than the bluish light that is radiating from your phone. It is a step up from the bright blue light and a good precaution to take for night-time online surfing.