I've posted this article from the New York Times several times on my Facebook page and I keep posting it because it remains (and will always be) relevant. Many women and birthing people spend a lot of time and energy into planning for their births. Many more women and birthing people are surprised that the birthing part is easy compared to the postpartum part.
The postpartum period is hard. Nursing is hard. Sleep deprivation happens to everyone. None of these things can be prevented and there's no amount of planning to "solve" the many different adjustments the fourth trimester brings, but you can prepare. Prepare now, not when baby is born, but now. Have you hired a lactaction consultant? Have you stocked your postpartum pantry with witch hazel and pads and sitz herbs? Is your fridge stocked with food? Do you have a meal train? Check out this article and then get to work prepping for the fourth trimester! "And in May, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists issued new recommendations for postpartum care, including the suggestion that women develop a postpartum care plan during pregnancy. Women should have contact with a maternal care provider within the first three weeks after childbirth, the recommendations say, rather than waiting six weeks, and women with chronic medical conditions, including mood disorders, should be counseled about scheduling timely follow-up visits to address those illnesses ... But even so, many women — myself included — have felt unprepared for the physical trials of the postpartum period. With that in mind, I spoke with doctors, doulas, pelvic floor specialists and researchers to compile a short list of practical suggestions for women entering the first three months after childbirth, a momentous phase of a woman’s life that has often been eclipsed by the baby. Read the rest on the NYT
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AuthorHi there! I'm Erika Davis and I'm a doula working in the Seattle and South Puget Sound area. Archives
December 2018
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