07/07/2022
A little bit of planning can make a world of difference for your postpartum journey. Once you're holding a teeny human in your arms, priorities naturally shift + some tasks become a bit more challenging.
𝙷𝚎𝚛𝚎'𝚜 𝙷𝚘𝚠 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝙲𝚊𝚗 𝙿𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚎:
1) 𝚂𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚖 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜.
Keep your midwife/OBGYN, pediatrician, lactation consultant, and any other providers' information in a together so that you can easily reach out to them after your birth.
2) 𝚂𝚑𝚒𝚏𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜!
Postpartum provides a unique opportunity to slow down to nature's pace. Be prepared to forgive yourself for not being as productive, organized + sharp as your pre-baby self. Try to make room in the first few weeks for snuggling, feeding, replenishing your body, healing, + laughter- let everything else fall to the wayside for now.
3) 𝙺𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚕𝚘𝚝𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚝𝚑𝚢 𝚏𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍...
whether that means making lots of freezer casseroles, buying bulk prepared soups, scheduling a meal delivery service (🙋♀️), or putting together a meal train. Your body absolutely requires nutrients to get you through these weeks of intense healing, sleepless nights + neurological reorganization.🍜🥘🫖
4) 𝙶𝚎𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚙 𝚘𝚗 𝚋𝚘𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚊𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚊𝚗.
Talk with your support system about what they can do to help after the baby arrives. Ask for what you need ahead of time by assigning tasks like laundry, errands + cleaning to family and friends who will be visiting.
5) 𝙷𝚒𝚛𝚎 𝚊 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚝𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚞𝚖 𝚍𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚊 (🙋♀️)!
They will be sure you've got nourishing food, hydration, rest, a hot shower, a shoulder to lean on + ALLLL of the resources you need.
6) 𝙰𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚝 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚜𝚞𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚙.
You may feel extremely vulnerable at first and experience some resistance to the idea, but a sense of community, validation + support can uplift your spirit and help you to cope with the challenges of mothering a new baby.
7) 𝚃𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚋𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚑 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢!
Capture the details of your labour + birth as soon as possible. In the future, your children will want to hear the story over and over + it will always be there for you to pull strength from or to consult throughout your healing.
8) 𝙲𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜...
around hand washing, holding the baby, visiting hours + your parenting style before your baby is born. These can be tough conversations, but trust me- you will not want to be having them in the early weeks of postpartum.
9) 𝚂𝚎𝚝 𝚞𝚙 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜...
all over your home in locations that makes sense to you. It is incredibly helpful to have at least one of each of the following: diaper changing station, postpartum wellness station, breastfeeding station, bottle/pump station. Fully stock each station before baby arrives to make the first few weeks a bit easier.
