Planning for Postnatal Recovery
/Why we need to plan for our recovery post birth and tips to help you get the right support in place.
In pregnancy we spend so much time thinking about and planning for the birth and preparing everything the baby might need, but very often we don’t have much in place to care for our own needs once baby is here! We also tend to think about investing in support in pregnancy and birth and buying things for baby but not setting a budget for the help we need for postnatal recovery. Believe me, you are worth investing in and your recovery is important for the welfare of the whole family so it is not being selfish!
Birth is of course somewhat of an unknown quantity, especially this first time, and so can be hard to plan ahead when we won’t know how it is all going to go, how we will feel and what we will need. It is a bit like planning for an overseas trip when you don’t where you are going or what the weather will be like!
One thing though that all new mums do need is acres of rest for the first few weeks.
Rest is really important for long-term recovery and you ought not to feel guilty about it. After all, in any other circumstance when someone has had surgery for example or a major physical event, it would be expected that the person take time out to recover. It is not unreasonable to expect the same after giving birth, and we need to be kind to ourselves and not push ourselves too hard too soon to ‘get back to normal’.
I recommend planning ahead to reduce your workload for when baby is here. Whatever kind of birth you have, you will want to focus on caring for the baby and your own recovery and not be overwhelmed with all the other tasks that need doing. In some cultures is it normal for a new mum to spend the first few post-partum weeks in bed to recover after the massive physical event of giving birth. Family members step in to run the house and provide food and care to the mother.
Maybe you have someone who can do that for you, and do ask for and accept as much help as you can, but most likely you will need to be doing some things by yourself.
Here are some tips to make life easier for you:
FOOD: Stock up on foods that will nourish you, you might like to have a favourites shopping list for online shopping and delivery so it is quick and easy when you need to order again, do some batch cooking ahead of time and freeze so you have ready meals, you could ask friends or family to bring you meals once baby is here
HOME: organise some help such as having a cleaner, maybe a gardener for a while. It might be worth using a local laundrette to do service washes for you
LIFE ADMIN: Also look ahead for jobs that might need doing like paying bills, renewing insurances, filing accounts, getting an MOT, applying for permits etc and get them out of the way before baby arrives or set up an automatic payment.
PHYSICAL SUPPORT: It is also useful to look up in advance and keep details of postnatal professionals should you feel the need for their services. These might include a night nanny, lactation consultant, postnatal massage, postnatal reflexology, a women's health physio, scar massage specialist and postnatal yoga. If you do face a problem it will be reassuring to know help it at hand especially if you are feeling worried or overwhelmed. Your body will have gone through a lot, and you will benefit from lots of TLC.
EMOTIONAL SUPPORT: Please know that every mum at some point has emotional struggles or hates certain aspects of childcare, and it doesn’t mean you love your baby any less. Who loves sleep deprivation and endless nappies?! It is normal to grieve your old self and old life. You may find having time with postnatal specialists, friends and family gives you the support you need to talk about challenges you are facing.
However postnatal depression and anxiety are real and not uncommon. If you do experience this or think you may have either or both, please do reach out for specialist help. Neither are a sign that you are failing as a mum and asking for help is in fact evidence of what a great mum you are. You can call your GP or PANDAS UK for help.
If you’d like some postnatal support from me, I offer postnatal reflexology and one-to-one postnatal yoga, and a sympathetic listening ear. In both cases baby is welcome, or you can come alone whichever suits you best. You can book online, or if you'd like to find out more simply drop me a line.