Have you thought about what those first six weeks will look like after you have your little one? The postpartum period can be a trying time- there are sleepless nights, hormones causing your emotions to range from anger and depression to exhilaration and joy and the physical healing that needs to happen after a vaginal birth or a cesarean section. Having a plan for the first six weeks of your life as a momma is critical for your health and healing.
What does a postpartum care plan look like? It will be different for every woman and family. Here is one example that I recently found that I absolutely love: Creating your Babymoon : A Guide for a Healing Postpartum. However, I know that this plan is not feasible for everyone so here are some things to think about as you create your own postpartum care plan:
Do I have a good support system?
Do you have family and friends that will come along side you with the support that you will need? Having a support system that will bring meals, get groceries, clean your house, offer a listening ear and caring hugs Is so important during those first six weeks. Your focus during those weeks should be to bond with your baby, build your milk supply if you are breastfeeding, get as much sleep as possible, eat the healthiest, most nutrient dense foods that you can to speed healing and process the changes that have been made since becoming a mother. These things will be very hard if you don’t have a good support system.
If you don’t have a good support system, you are worried about asking too much from your support system or you simply feel like you need more support than your family or friends can offer look into hiring a postpartum doula. Postpartum doulas will help with light housekeeping, breastfeeding support, run errands and can watch baby so that you can rest. Each doula offers different packages and prices. Here is a good place to start looking for one if you are interested: Postpartum doula search
Health and Physical Healing
One of the biggest things you can do during your postpartum period is to eat nutrient dense foods that will help speed healing and keep your energy up.
Protein is essential to help repair and strengthen muscle. Good sources of protein are: meats- chicken, beef, venison, and fish- nuts, the combination of beans and rice, eggs, dairy products, non-dairy nut milks, oatmeal and quinoa. Protein powders are also a good option and you can use them in smoothies and baking. There are dairy free, gluten free and even grain free protein powders available so you should be able to find one that fits your specific dietary needs.
Vitamin C helps to produce collagen which helps to build muscle, tissue and hair. Extra Vitamin C will also give your immune system a boost during the tiring weeks of the postpartum period. Good sources of Vitamin C are citrus fruits, colored peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts and strawberries
Iron Supplements can help you regain your energy quicker. During childbirth you will lose between two and four cups of blood depending on if you delivered vaginally or by cesarean section and sometimes it is more if you experience a postpartum hemorrhage. Floradix is the best iron supplement that I can recommend. It is plant based and quickly absorbed into your body making for a quicker recovery than if you use a synthetic supplement.
Water is also important during the postpartum recovery. Make sure that you are drinking at least eight cups per day. Some women find that they need to drink even more to keep their milk supply up.
Fruits and Vegetables provide vitamins and minerals that will help your body to recover from the demands of pregnancy, childbirth and nursing a newborn. The natural fiber they provide will also help your digestive system to get back to normal.
One thing that can make it easier during the postpartum period to get proper nutrition is to prepare some freezer meals beforehand or make sure someone from your support system will set up a meal train. Make sure that you specify if you have any food allergies or sensitivities and if there are any specific meals that you would like. Having pancakes, waffles and muffins in the freezer can make your mornings easier especially if you have other littles in the house. It can be difficult to nurse or feed the baby while also getting your other littles their breakfast and keeping everyone happy. Having those easy things in the freezer will make your morning flow a little smoother.
Please don’t think about weight loss during the first six weeks after birth. Your body has gone through a lot to nurture and care for you and your baby and it needs care as you recover before stressing it to try and lose weight. Some women find that weight falls off easily while breastfeeding, others find they can’t lose weight, that some of it stays around until baby is weaned or that they may even gain weight while nursing. Each body is different and each body will deal with the demands of healing and nursing in different ways.
Gentle exercises are good during the postpartum period but please check with your doctor or midwife to make sure you are cleared for it. If you lose a larger amount of blood you may want to wait until after the first six weeks so your body can rebuild it’s iron stores. Walking and stretching are probably the best exercises to start with and they do not over stress your body.
Prepare a Nursing Basket. Include a water bottle, book, burp cloth, nursing pads, a nursing cover if you use one at home, magazines and snacks. Easy snacks to include would be high quality protein bars, dried fruits, nuts and dark chocolate.
Self-care During the Postpartum Period
If we aren’t caring for ourselves during the postpartum period it is easy to become fatigued and overwhelmed which can lead to depression. Besides the above suggestions to help your body heal here are some other things that you can do to ease your transition into motherhood.
Wear pajamas or lounge wear at home. You will be nursing a lot and there will be frequent wake up calls in the night nursing or not. By wearing your pajamas or loungewear, especially if it is something that you do not normally wear during the day, will help remind you to rest and sleep when possible. It will also remind any visitors that you have that you need rest right now.
Take Any Offer of Help. If someone offers to bring food let them. If a visitor asks if they can do anything while they are at your house give them a job. Have someone pick up your groceries, run errands for you, etc.
Make Time for Yourself. Have your husband take over the evening chores. He can manage the other children, set the table or just cuddle the baby {Dad’s need bonding time too!} while you take a bath or a shower, workout or do anything that refreshes you. If you are a single mom ask one of your support people to give you a break while you get some alone time.
Put the Fine China Away. Use paper products for the first six weeks. It will make things so much easier. Even if you have a dishwasher it is easier to toss the plates in the garbage than to get things loaded and then unloaded and put away. If you don’t want to use paper products only wash the dishes once a day or have your partner do them in the evening or a visitor who wants to help.
There are so many more things we could talk about that will help you prepare for and have a healthy, healing postpartum period. But by using the ideas above you will be well on your way to having a wonderful first six weeks as a momma.
Other articles you may want to read:
Postpartum Care – Vaginal Recovery
Surviving Postpartum Depression (PPD)
Rebekah Thompson writes at Surviving Toddlerhood. She has been married for nine years and is momma to four little boys ages eight, five, three, and eight months. She is the author of The First Six Weeks: Thriving Naturally On Your Postpartum Journey and a certified birth doula through DONA International. She enjoys good coffee and tea, dark chocolate, running and learning as much as possible about healthy pregnancy/postpartum and fitness. You can check out her blog at www.survivingtoddlerhood.com
I found it hard to just focus on my baby and nursing and sleep, when I wanted to do other things as well. I realized that my only job was to take care of my baby! Everything else didn’t need to happen right away.
Wow..great post! Wish this would have been around right after I had my second! Great info here! Thank you for sharing!!