The time immediately following the birth of your new baby is referred to as your postpartum period. It’s a time of adjustment as you heal and fall into the groove of caring for a newborn. There is no set definition of how long postpartum lasts in terms of building up additional resources and help to companion you. For some families, they appreciate having extra help for just a few days or weeks, while other families prefer their support to last until the baby’s first birthday.
Bringing home baby is a magical time that is made more magical by having the freedom to heal, relax, and bond with your family.
There are many changes that go along with having a new baby. There are physiological changes in the parent that births the baby. It may take many weeks for them to feel “normal” again. There are also hormonal changes and deciding what to do about lactation (either breastfeeding, or suppressing lactation in preference of another feeding method). Additionally, changes in your normal sleep patterns affect both parents. That’s especially true if there is no time to make up for sleep deficits due to a hectic work schedule, or during tag team care of a newborn. Each parent is trying to learn about their new role and the strengths and weaknesses that go into that role as well as trying to reconnect with their partner as a new family of three or more. Some families are great at building an island and staying there for a few weeks with no harm done, yet there are families that find there’s a great strain in trying to be all things to everyone all the time while being sleep deprived.
You may be quite used to your daily routine. You go to bed and wake up at the same times. You do certain chores on certain days. You prep and cook certain types of food. You go to work at set times, or have a set outline for your day. And then suddenly there’s a whole other person’s day to manage.
We recommend happily accepting all offers of help from people you love, know, and trust. If they want to put clean sheets on your bed, feed you, or hold a baby while you shower, let them.
Additionally, you can hire a postpartum doula to companion you through your day. We’d be happy to assist you with newborn care, meal planning, task management, light housekeeping, and general postpartum family care. We can come assist you in the hospital following the birth of your baby, or provide day or night shifts if you’re looking for some assistance with tasks or getting a little more sleep. You can allow us to be all things to all people temporarily while you bond with your partner, your new little, and any other children that are now the big brothers or big sisters.
Still needing a bit more guidance?
Check out our upcoming class Prepared Postpartum.
We will address all of these topics and help set you up for an amazing postpartum period!!
