Giving birth is a magical experience, finally seeing your baby after carrying them for 9 months, but no one prepares you for the fourth trimester after you’ve given birth. When I gave birth to my baby girl, I felt the physical and emotional transformation afterwards. Whilst most of the attention focuses on the baby, it’s important to remember yourself. New mothers need patience, care and recovery time after the trauma that just happened to their body, to adjust the body and mind. But how do you do this?
This guide will help you to prepare for the fourth trimester through a list of priorities to help new mothers recover, build strength and nurture well-being.
Priority 1 – Rest and recovery
Healing physically after giving birth takes time, sometimes even longer than you expect. Generally, fatigue takes over after giving birth. From late nights staying up looking after the baby to the healing and soreness after pushing out the baby, it can leave you feeling overwhelmed and make it a struggle to get out of bed. This is why it’s important to be kind to yourself and rest while your body starts healing, especially if you’ve had a C-section. Rest is essential after birth, not optional, so don’t feel ashamed of putting up your feet.
There are a few things that you can do practically during this busy time to get a few extra hours of rest. Firstly, sleeping when the baby sleeps gives you both a chance to rest together, even if it is just a short nap. Next, I know it can be hard sometimes, but asking and accepting help from family and friends is absolutely fine; most of the time they want to help to give you time to rest. Remember that rest is not just physical, its emotional, mindfulness and journaling in those quite moments can be as effective as a sleep.
Priority 2 – Nourish your body
Nourishing yourself postpartum supports healing, milk production and energy. It’s essential to remember to feed yourself as well as the baby, with nutrient-dense food to rebuild strength. Foods with high protein and healthy fats, such as eggs, salmon and nuts, help to repair damaged tissue and balance hormones, whilst iron-rich foods such as spinach and lentils reduce fatigue and blood loss.
It’s understandable that you don’t want to do much cooking, so prepping easy meals with few ingredients, making smoothies and asking friends and family to bring made dishes is the best thing to do. During this period, you need to view food as fuel for health and keep your body going.
Priority 3: Emotional well-being
The first few weeks after birth will be an emotional rollercoaster. Changes from happiness to anxiety to exhaustion are very normal, so you have to be kind to yourself. After a traumatic birth caused by professional negligence, I suffered from PTSD, and I needed a lot of emotional support from my partner, friends and family, especially through the legal process with a medical professional solicitor. After a traumatic birth or even any birth, it’s common to go through sleep deprivation due to anxiety and stress. This is where it is good to talk openly to family, friends, nd medical professionals. Postnatal depression is very common but serious, and seeking help is a strength and not a weakness.
Priority 4: Building support systems
Everyone says that it takes a village to look after a baby, and it’s true. Building support systems throughout your pregnancy and birth is essential. Reaching out to other new mothers to create support systems is a good way to find others who are going through the same things to have conversations with, to gain practical and emotional help. Leaning on your partner during this time and getting emoinal and physical suport through carrying out chores and responsibilities is a great way to connect and take a load off your shoulders. Also, asking friends and family to come over to help with meals, chores, and babysitting can also help to lighten the load, as you deserve a break for being so strong. The key is to surround yourself with people who make you feel supported and safe.
Finishing thoughts
The weeks after birth are a time to slow down and look out for yourself. At this time, make sure that you listen to your body, and don’t be afraid to ask others for help if you need anything. Prioritising yourself is the best thing for you and your baby, gradually going forward into the future. Just remember you’re amazing and doing so well, so look after yourself!