Postpartum Wellness Essentials: Your Guide to Preparing for Post-Birth Recovery
Creating a Postpartum Self-Care Plan is Essential: Here’s Why You Need It, and How To Do It
Maternal healthcare is in crisis, and not even health experts like naturopathic doctors are immune. I could never have foreseen how my daughter’s home birth would go, but I remain so grateful to the paramedics who arrived minutes after my family dialed 911.
For busy, professional women who are used to managing their schedules, teams, and big projects, the idea of navigating the unknowns of childbirth and the postpartum period can be overwhelming.
I was there! While pregnant, I worried about my postpartum period but because I didn’t know what to do, I ignored those quiet concerns and kept telling myself that “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it”.
Here’s what I learned, the hard way: pregnancy and postpartum are critical times when both our physical and emotional health are most vulnerable. Creating a postpartum self-care plan during pregnancy is not just helpful—it is essential. If I could go back and do it all over again, I would do one thing differently: I would prepare better for postpartum.
And I would ASK questions. I assumed that because no one, not my midwife or my OB-GYN, ever brought up anything about the postpartum time, it wouldn’t be that big a deal. I was wrong.
So wrong, in fact, that I knew I wanted to help other women have a better postpartum. Why? Because the better you feel, the more able you are to get back to YOU while also being the kind of parent you’ve always dreamed of being: connected, nurturing, and savoring every moment.
No one signs to be exhausted, anxious and depressed, and feeling like they’re stuck at the bottom of a very deep, dark hole - but too often, this is how women feel. And it is a massive barrier to connecting with your infant and to your own healing.
A Postpartum Self-Care Plan equips you with the tools you need to prioritize your well-being, ensuring that you can transition into motherhood while maintaining balance between who you are: a woman, professional, partner, child, friend, sibling, and who you have become: a new parent.
That’s why I wrote my book POST: The Essential Guide to Creating Your Postpartum Self-Care Plan in Pregnancy. I wanted to give you a one-stop shop, a comprehensive guide on all the things you’ll need to know about your own self-care, recovery, and transition into motherhood, a unique time of life when you’re super depleted but also have more demands than ever before.
POST is all about creating your Postpartum Self-Care Plan in pregnancy: attending to the essential, research-based pillars of self-care so you can show up as the woman and parent you’ve always imagined you’d be.
Why a Postpartum Self-Care Plan is Critical
In 2018 the American College of OBstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) released a statement paper calling for better postpartum care for new parents.
This includes an initial postpartum care visit within the first three weeks after birth and continue with follow-ups as necessary, culminating in a full evaluation by 12 weeks. Women with complications and/or chronic health conditions will need additional care.
They also recommended … 🥁🥁🥁
Creating a Postpartum Self-Care Plan in Pregnancy
(TBH, I thought this was my great idea, and wondered why no one else was saying it!). Turns out, the experts have been recommending a Postpartum Self-Care Plan for a while now.
The postpartum period, often called the "fourth trimester," is a time of profound physical, emotional, and psychological change. This period can be overwhelming, and without proper support, many new mothers feel depleted and isolated.
Your brain will be working differently, postpartum. That’s thanks in large part to the massive shifts in hormones that women undergo shortly after childbirth, coupled with massive physical shifts, sleep deprivation, and changes in nutrient needs that can be challenging to meet if you’re not prepared…
In short, there are a lot of moving parts.
That’s why it's essential to have a structured plan in place before your baby comes: it will only help ensure that your recovery is prioritized alongside the demands of being a brand new mama.
Here’s the thing, mama:
You can’t pour from an empty cup. Your baby needs you at your best, and that means taking care of yourself first.
Here’s how you do it:
Key Components of a Postpartum Self-Care Plan
POST: The Essential Guide to Creating Your Postpartum Self-Care Plan in Pregnancy is truly packed with resources, information, and practical tips on how to create your Postpartum Self-Care Plan before the baby comes.
If you want the nitty gritty, then definitely buy a copy (it also makes an excellent gift for an expecting friend or family member!).
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Here are the essentials of what’s covered as part of the Postpartum Self-Care Plan:
Physical Recovery
As a brand new mom, I felt super overwhelmed even going to the bathroom or making lactation tea, so forget about cooking a big meal. Think about these things now, before the baby comes, and start practicing healthy habits in pregnancy:
Rest and Sleep
Rest is non-negotiable for postpartum healing. Arrange help with nighttime feedings, ask for support with housework and childcare so you can rest, and set up a sleep-friendly environment.
Yes, do all of this before the baby comes! When your baby finally arrives, delegation, scheduling and coordination will be the absolute last things on your mind.
Sleep deprivation can have long-term health consequences, including hormonal imbalances that prolong recovery. Set boundaries early and plan ahead to ensure you get adequate rest.
Nutrition and Hydration
Your body needs nutrient-dense meals to recover, now more than any other time of life. That’s doubly true if you’re also lactating.
Meal prep before birth or consider using a meal delivery service. Foods rich in protein, fiber, and healthy fats are key to fueling recovery and balancing hormones.
This doesn’t have to be tough: according to the research, the best diet for a healthy pregnancy and postpartum recovery (including losing pregnancy weight, perinatal mental health, and even lactation):
The Mediterranean Diet.
Eat well, eat often. And, oh yes, drink LOTS of water. Other than elite athletes in training, your body’s water requirement postpartum is at its highest.
Exercise
Unless you have been warned against exercise by your doctor, exercise in pregnancy is a non-negotiable to help support cardiometabolic health and your upcoming postpartum recovery. Work with a medical professional to determine the best type and frequency of exercise for you.
Postpartum, gentle exercise such as walking or postpartum yoga can aid recovery once you feel ready. Start slowly.
Speak with your doctor before beginning more strenuous exercise, and follow a plan approved by your healthcare provider, focusing on exercises that strengthen the core and pelvic floor.
Movement is vital for recovery, but it needs to be gentle and intentional in the postpartum phase.
Mental and Emotional Health
Your mental and emotional health is as important as your physical health. If you’re not familiar with your own mental and emotional states (which is pretty common among busy women in our demanding world), take time to check in now.
Journaling, meditation, and talking with trusted friends and family are great ways to start.
Your Support Team
You will need your people to get through this.
Before the baby comes, set up your teams of emotional support. You have two: your medical support team, and your personal support team.
Keep a list of your medical providers and their contact information, including your OB-GYN, midwife, nurses, PCP, acupuncturist, chiropractor, naturopathic doctor, doula, mental health professionals: anyone who is helping you with your physical, mental or emotional wellness in a therapeutic capacity.
Know when to contact them: if you’re not sure, there’s a list of “Physical Red Flags” and “Mental Health Red Flags” available as part of POST.
Also before the baby comes, speak with your people. Who can come help you after the baby arrives, and what are they willing to do? Chores, child-sitting, errands? What times are they available? Get granular.
Also, decide who will be your medical advocate. This is the person who will be in the medical visits with you, who knows your concerns and your wishes, your birth plan, your postpartum plan, your postpartum contraception plan, etc. This is the person who can advocate for you in medical settings, which can notoriously make people feel marginalized or powerless. You are NOT powerless in that setting, but it helps to have your medical advocate in the room or in your corner. This is often a partner or close, trusted person.
No one can do it alone, and it’s essential to have a network you can lean on during tough moments.
Self-Compassion, Recognizing Trauma, and Boundaries
Be kind to yourself as you adjust to motherhood. Establish boundaries with work, family, and social commitments to avoid burnout.
Pregnancy invites massive and potentially overwhelming changes in our bodies, followed by postpartum, another potentially overwhelming time. This can allow the memories of traumas to resurface, or make them more urgently felt. If you feel this is the case, working with a therapist or counselor now is advised.
Mindfulness and Stress Reduction
Incorporate stress-relieving practices such as meditation, journaling, or breath work into your daily routine. This can help with mood stabilization and may help reduce postpartum anxiety.
Incidentally, preparing and planning ahead can also help reduce stress and anxiety.
Breastfeeding and Infant Care Support
There was so much about caring for my infant daughter that just blindsided me. I don’t want that to happen to you.
Breastfeeding Resources
Breastfeeding was surprisingly challenging for me, and wildly emotional. As part of POST: The Essential Guide to Creating Your Postpartum Self-Care Plan in Pregnancy, I created the “Feeding Your Baby” Guide, which has all of the information taht I wish I’d had before my daughter was born, so that I’d know that everything I was feeling was normal!!!
If you plan to breastfeed you can prepare yourself early. Attend prenatal breastfeeding classes and establish a connection with a lactation consultant (look for the IBCLC designation) early to establish successful breastfeeding habits.
Have a list of breastfeeding-friendly foods and essential breastfeeding supplies on hand. And whatever happens, love yourself hard during this time. Breastfeeding is not easy for many of us.
And oh yes: The Mediterranean diet sets you up for healthy breast milkroduction as well as helping you recover too! (You have no idea how many cheese plates I ate! They were one of the few reasons I had to smile in those days).
Returning to Work, Postpartum Contraception, Your Relationship with Your Partner
All of these topics warrant time and attention before the baby arrives. For more information, check out POST: The Essential Guide to Creating Your Postpartum Self-Care Plan in Pregnancy.
Why Self-Care is More Important Than Ever in the Postpartum Period
Too many of us spent our lives making something else more important than us. A family member, partner, work, even friends, all of these can easily become reasons we don’t invest time, energy and/or money in our own self-care.
Pregnancy is your wake-up call, because everything’s about to change. For the first time in your life, someone else will legitimately require the bulk of your time, energy, and attention. But you must set some of that aside for you.
Self-care is truly the only way through a postpartum time that can feel challenging or isolating.
Don’t worry about others; let them worry about and take care of you. Keep your energy close, and spend it on yourself and your beautiful new baby.
The biggest mistake I made postpartum was not asking for help sooner. It’s easy to feel like you can handle it all, but you need a plan in place for when you can’t.
This time can feel endless, but I promise, the postpartum time will end, and you will recover. How soon depends on you.
Insider Secrets for Optimizing Your Postpartum Self-Care Plan
Delegate Early: successful women are accustomed to multitasking, but it’s important to recognize when to delegate. Whether it’s household tasks, baby care so you can sleep, or even managing work projects as you transition back, delegation will help you preserve energy.
Prepare Your Environment: create a home environment that promotes healing and relaxation. This includes setting up spaces where you can rest comfortably with your baby, areas for self-care, and organizing meals and essentials in advance.
Gather Your Support: know your Medical Support Team and when to call them, if necessary. And know your personal Support Team, and let them help you. They will be so glad for the direction.
Financial Planning for Self-Care: don’t hesitate to invest in resources that will ease your transition, whether it’s hiring a postpartum doula, getting a meal delivery service, or setting aside funds for professional support like therapy.
Invest in Your Postpartum Wellness
If you’re ready to take charge of your postpartum journey and create a self-care plan tailored to your needs, POST: The Essential Guide to Creating Your Postpartum Self-Care Plan in Pregnancy is the resource you’ve been waiting for.
Packed with actionable advice, real-life examples, and essential tips, it’s your roadmap to thriving in motherhood.
Click here to buy the book on Amazon and start your postpartum self-care journey today!