What is your postpartum plan?

11/9/2017

Often when a family is preparing for a baby to arrive you typically see two schools of thought.
One, the soon to be mom and dad focused on the pregnancy.
From ultrasounds, to pregnancy apps, to online forum groups discussing everything from diaper choices to what size fruit resembles the growing human inside mom’s belly. It’s a fun, exciting time and understandably all these things are new and fascinating, so getting caught up in it, seems natural and it is really something wonderful to celebrate.
The other thought wave is usually focused a bit more on the time after baby arrives, but it’s usually around nursery colors, baby clothes, car seats and strollers .

Something rarely discussed however is the mother herself.
You can be set up for success to take care of a newborn, but how can you be set up
to take care of the mother?

For instance, what does recovery really look like?

What can you expect during those first 6 weeks physically, mentally and emotionally?

What foods are good for replenishing and nurturing a mother after she’s had a
baby, or what nutrients can help with milk supply?

Is there someone who can come to listen to her if she wants to process her birth story
or discuss the raw emotion of becoming a parent?

What about support to help guide new parents with feeding tips, infant behaviour,
and sleep states?

Not to mention the regular household chores needing to be maintained - laundry, meal prep, light housekeeping. What so many new families don’t realize is how taxing those first few days and weeks are on the family, but to the new mom specifically. Usually the first few days is a mix of euphoria, adrenaline and excitement, but then it usually quickly turns to exhaustion and a state of constant unknowns. It can be so difficult for parents to process that, when they are also trying to keep a new baby content. Add in a sibling or a pet and you’ve got yourself a bucket full of emotions and nowhere to go with them.

Enter a postpartum doula.

A woman who with education and experience is able to assist in mothering the mother. Someone who can provide unbiased evidence based research on everything from breastfeeding, to sleep habits, to maternal mental health. Someone who is able to efficiently listen and acknowledge that everyone’s journey is their own, and that it is impossible to hear the same story or situation twice. A woman who knows enough to calm, connect and support when it’s most important. Being nurtured in those first few weeks can be a very empowering process if you have the right support and reassurance surrounding you. Planning for your personal care after the birth is just as important as planning those beautiful nursery colors, picking the perfect name, and welcoming a new family member to your life.

So what is your postpartum plan?