Top Tips For Postpartum Planning

Let's talk planning.  You have spent the last 9 months growing and carrying your tiny human.  You have several apps that detail every step of their development as they grow from the size of a watermelon seed to a pumpkin.  You have faithfully avoided all the food that might give you listeria, even though you love sushi! You have moisturised for stretch marks, setup a Pinterest worthy nursery, spent hours researching the perfect pram and have finally chosen your baby's name.  Your pregnancy journey has been researched and planned with military precision!

So what about your Post Birth plan? huh? tumbleweeds roll past.  Postpartum planning is more important than pregnancy planning. New motherhood is a time of fundamental physical and emotional change.  A baby and a mother is born, both needing time and support to adjust to their new world.  Motherhood is a life changing transition, one of the largest in a womans life.  Time, rest and replenishment is vital during this time to ensure future health of body and mind. There is no such thing as ‘bouncing back’. 

Traditional cultures have long understood the importance of nourishing mums postpartum through diet and support.  According to Traditional Chinese Medicine a woman loses Qi (vital energy) and blood during childbirth, this needs to be replenished through rest and diet.  If nutrients or blood is lost, the mind will be disturbed and mood affected.  This is now backed up by modern research with postnatal depletion linked to perinatal depression.  

It’s not just the physical that needs replenishment.  Emotionally new mums need the space and support to adjust to motherhood.  It really does take a village to raise a child.  A postpartum care plan can help you prepare and transition to your new role as a mum, give you a positive start to motherhood.  

Postpartum planning tips:

✨It's time to call in your support network or create one if you don’t have family and friends close by.  

✨Get friends and family to cook some nourishing postpartum meals or organise a 'food train'.  Lots of warming and protein rich foods, think casseroles and soups - these will help aid wound healing, recovery from childbirth, support digestion and provide you with nutrients you need.  

✨Before your new baby arrives, stock up your pantry with quality foods.  Some great postpartum staples include oats, goji berries, good quality bone broth, organic eggs, leafy greens, ghee and brown rice.  Trail mix is also great to have as a nutritious snack.  One handed snacks are a must when breastfeeding! Check out our blog article on Postpartum Nutrition for lots of great nutrition tips.  

✨Ensure you are getting quality nutrients to replenish your body post pregnancy and child birth.  While many nutrients can be found in foods in your diet, a good quality supplement can help you meet the demands of new motherhood.  Be sure to look out for Iron, B Vitamins, Zinc and Selenium.  

✨Organise someone to come and clean your house.  Domestic chores are the last thing you will feel like or should be going.  You need to stay focussed on your recovery and bonding with your new baby.

✨If you have older kids plan a kinder or school roster for pickup and drop off.

✨Speak to your partner and decide your 'guest protocol' - how soon and how often you want to entertain visitors.  The last thing you want to be doing is making endless cups of tea!

✨Sleep deprivation is real and you need to ensure you are getting enough rest to cope with ups and downs of new motherhood.  Get as much sleep as you can.  Decide how you will work a feeding schedule with your partner so that you can get a solid block of sleep.  Organise a close friend to come around during the day to look after your tiny human so you can sleep when your partner returns to work.  Sleep really will help make the journey easier.

✨Plan to stay in.  Childbirth takes a large toll on your body and you need time to heal and recover.  Don't plan any social events in the first month postpartum.  

✨Stay connected.  New motherhood can feel isolating and lonely - especially in a COVID world.  Sign up to online communities, look for local drop in days for lactation consultants in your area and make sure you sign up for a mothers group.  Remember you are not alone, ask for help if you are not coping.  There are great resources like cope.org.au you can use.

✨Remember to be kind to yourself.  You're not expected have all the answers and know how to be a 'mother' immediately.  It takes times and sometimes more than you think, so allow yourself the time you need to adjust to your role as a new mum. 

At HQ we are here to help.  We have scientifically formulated our Post Birth Vitality nutrient powder to  support postpartum recovery, replenish key nutrients, promote a healthy milk supply and help with mood and hormone regulation .  Find out how we can help you.  

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