Postpartum Planning: The Five Essentials
Do you have a plan? I didn’t. It was hard. After the birth of my first child I was really winging it. In a new city, with a new baby, a new husband, feeling desperate for connection. I’d go from Harlem to the UWS to take yoga classes or sing songs in the park with other tired moms and babies. I was exhausted, lonely, hungry, pushing myself and determined to keep going. Despite my body’s best efforts to slow me down. I would say this wasn’t the best way to spend the early weeks and months.
Now, that child is 13 and has 2 younger brothers. Over the years I’ve gained so much more experience and knowledge. Now I’m able to support people during this time in a much more holistic way than I was able to do for myself. I understand that I was on the right path seeking connection but there were so many other areas I was neglecting. I forgive myself though.
Here is some wisdom I’d like to pass along that I’ve gained over the years but that was really solidified through my training with Innate Traditions Postpartum training. These are the essentials of postpartum care for you, the mother, to support your long term health. Find your free downloadable postpartum planning template at the bottom of this page where you can add your intentions/goals and resources around each of these areas:
Rest. You’ve heard the saying “sleep when your baby sleeps” and maybe, like me, you were born into a culture that values productivity and speed at the sacrifice of your well being. If so that saying may seem impossible, you’ve got things to do, people to see, a house to clean, work to finish and really maybe it seems boring. I implore you to PLEASE SLOW DOWN. This is a crucial time for your healing and for bonding with your baby. You will not get this time back. It might feel like the time is creeping by (especially if you’re living in a similar fast paced reality) but in reality the time flies by and so many people that I’ve met miss the special time when their babies were small. So rest when your baby is resting, stay in as much as you can, keep your life close to your bed, take it very easy. All the things, cleaning, entertaining, your work etc., will likely be there when you emerge from the early postpartum weeks (6ish). Number 2 is your solution to the things that need to get done conundrum as well as to #3, 4 and 5.
In order to accomplish number 1 (3, 4 & 5). Support is crucial, at least two layers of support for both you and your partner. This could be friends or family or maybe a doula or a therapist. Your partner cannot be your sole support. They are going through a huge transformation as well.
Nourishment. The postpartum time is a “cold state” according to many traditions around the world. If you just think about it, you’ve literally gone from having a baby in your body and about a 50% increase in your usual blood volume to birthing the baby, shedding all of the excess blood and working your uterus back down to the size of your fist. You’ve done some of the biggest physical work that you’ll ever do in your lifetime, growing and birthing a baby and now it is essential that you nourish yourself for the sake of your baby and your future health. Your future self will thank you. Therefore it is essential that you eat warm and easily digestible foods and drinks to allow your body the rest and deep healing that it requires.
Warmth not only should you eat and drink warm and nourishing foods, it’s also important that you keep your body and your baby’s body warm. During the postpartum time many birthing peoples bodies are in a state of depletion due to the tremendous physical work of birth, the changing hormone levels, lack of sleep and learning how to parent a new baby. The last thing your body should be doing is working hard to heat itself. For these reasons many traditions around the world encourage women to stay warm, to wear socks, hats and warm clothes even in the warmer months of the year. In some cultures a fire is lit near the bed to keep the mother warm throughout the days and nights of the first 40 days.
Bodywork. For some this might seem like a luxury but in many cultures around the world it is incorporated into postpartum care and even paid for by the government. There are many techniques that can be done by a trusted friend or family member, a doula or even yourself. See my list in my post titled Postpartum Essentials: Bodywork.
Download your free Postpartum Intention Setting Template