How to Prepare for Postpartum.

You carried your babe for nine months, and traveled together through the portal of birth. You labored long and hard, and at the end, you birthed a beautiful babe… Now what? In the perfect world, every family would be apart of a community. The community could support the new family and care for its own. Other mothers, elders, and young maidens would love on the family and help ease the burden so mother and babe could rest and bond. In this paradigm, specialized postpartum support would be accessible to everyone, and would be the norm. Every new mother would transition out of postpartum feeling rested, and connected to her baby and herself. She would feel nourished was born anew after each birth. The experience would leave her feeling like she wanted to birth again.

We are not meant to parent alone.

As a culture, we neglect to prepare for postpartum. We do not prioritize caring for our community during this sacred time. Set yourself up for a pleasurable postpartum period by calling in support. How do you set yourself up for a nourishing and blissful postpartum experience?

Build community

Build community before you get pregnant, and during the prenatal period. Find a group that aligns with your family’s values and beliefs. Show up and be an active member in your community. Community is imperative in all transitions periods of life, especially in postpartum.

Identify what help means to you.

Everyone’s needs are unique. Identify with your partner (before baby comes) what support looks like for your family. If you are apart of a community, plan and tell them how they can help you in the postpartum period. Be specific about your desires. If you do not have a strong community connections, start building one. Or hire support in areas that are most important to you.

Then ask for help.

Learn to ask for help. Practice delegating. Some may think that asking for help is a sign of weakness. I see new moms who ask for help as wise, and self aware. They understander the sacredness and brevity of the postpartum period. You can’t pour from an empty cup. It is vital for your family unit for you to be cared for. Again when asking for help clear in conveying your needs.

Ideas for how others can help in the postpartum period.

Nutrition -Ask a friend to set up an account for your family on mealtrain. When the baby arrives, have your friend send out an email to your community with the mealtrain account. This will enable everyone to deliver home-cooked meals in an organized way. You can prepare before hand by cooking and freezing soups and broths for you to use during the first 40 days. Stock the pantry with nourishing snacks to ensure you have things on hand when baby arrives. You can also preorder meals through a meal delivery program to support your nutritional needs.

Body work- Have postpartum oils in the home and ask a friend to give you a weekly massage. For professional body work, set up a registry on Be Her Village. This is a platform that allows friends and family to give practical gifts. You can put services such as a massage, chiropractic work, or postpartum doula on your registry .

Child care-Connect with friends and family and ask them to watch your older children. Set up standing playdates with different friends so your older children are taken care of.

Household chores- Ask a family member to come clean the house, do the dishes and laundry once a week.

Pet care- Ask a neighbor to take the dog out for a walk every day in the morning.

Breastfeeding- Talk to a mom in your community who has experience breast feeding. Join communities and forums online and then meet with members in person. Connect with a local le leche legue or book a visit with a lactation consultant.

These small everyday tasks all add up. Receiving love and support will allow you to recover, and to bond with your newborn. Again, if you are not apart of a community or have a strong network of friends, hire professionals for help.

If you are interested in working with me as a postpartum doula reach out to me here. Or purchase my digital download called Prepare for Postpartum to help you get clear on the type of postpartum you want to create.

To learn more about how to have a blissful postpartum period join my mentor’s Emilee and Nancy’s workshop-Postpartum Bliss. You too can have a loving and supportive postpartum period. It doesn’t necessarily require money, luck or any skills. It requires you to be prepared and to ask for what you need.