Oh, early postpartum! It is my least favorite part about becoming a mother. I can do pregnancy, labor, and everything outside of those first 2-4 weeks postpartum. But, we can do more than just survive (although it will feel like we are just trying to survive) early postpartum to help optimize our healing and support our health long term. Here are some tips to support the first few weeks postpartum.
Prioritize Rest and Nourishment
Rest is so important the first few weeks postpartum. Our bodies went through A LOT during pregnancy and birth. There is a lot we need to heal from those early days.
Our core canister was affected by pregnancy, so it may be harder to stabilize and we could experience more pain.
Our pelvic floor was stretched a ton after a vaginal delivery, so it feels heavy and sore.
If you have a cesarean birth, then we are healing from major abdominal surgery.
Our pelvic organs sit lower postpartum and need time to lift back up to their original location.
We have an internal wound the size of a dinner plate inside our uterus that is healing.
As you can see, there is a lot going on! AND you have to take care of a newborn.
If possible, emphasizing rest the first two weeks can enhance our healing. Still move around your house, but if possible stay off your feet in a gravity-supported position (supine, reclined, seated). In our mother’s Korean culture (and many other cultures), resting the first 40 days is believed to help support long-term health.
If you need some movement in your day, focusing on gentle breathing drills can wake up our pelvic floor and core again. See our Instagram post on some movement you can do the first month postpartum.
After rest, nourishment is equally as important. We need to replenish nutrients we may have lost during birth and take in nutrients that can enhance our healing. Many of us think of soups, such as bone broth-based soups, to help with healing.
An easy way to ensure you have optimal nourishment postpartum is to:
Prep meals ahead of time
Designate a support person to manage meals postpartum
Find a local meal delivery service to deliver meals to your door (local catering company, postpartum doulas, door dash)
In our local area (Moore County NC), we have a catering company, Spoon Lickers Catering, that delivers homecooked meals to your door. But, Door Dash or Ubereats makes it easy to get meals delivered to our door. A helpful way for family or friends who do not live near you to support you postpartum is to provide gift cards for meal delivery!
Prioritize Tasks (and be okay with not doing a lot)
One thing that tends to compete with rest early postpartum is accomplishing daily tasks and chores. Ideally, we have a support team available to handle daily tasks, chores, and appointments for other family members. If you have a support team available, assigning different team members certain tasks can allow you to focus on healing and taking care of your baby. This could include:
Taking care of older children (playing with them, taking them to appointments, school, or group activities, and managing their day to day needs)
Household chores and tasks (laundry, dishes, cooking, etc)
Taking care of pets
But, extra support is not always available due to a number of reasons, such as not living near family support and/or lack of or limited paternity leave. If you do not have a support team available, prioritize tasks with your partner on what NEEDS to be done, and what can wait for a few weeks.
Can your older kids skip their group activities for two weeks to limit the number of times you need to get up and move around outside the house?
Can you schedule appointments for other family members outside of those two weeks?
Can you use disposable plates and flatware to limit the number of dishes that will need to be washed?
Can you hire someone to assist with some tasks, such as a house cleaner, dog walker, or postpartum doula?
Sit down with your partner to assess what tasks may need to be done postpartum, and establish a priority list of what can wait and what needs to be done, while focusing on ensuring you have the opportunity to rest.
Support Your Feeding Journey with Your Baby
Early postpartum (and beyond) also needs to focus on taking care of your baby! Choosing how you plan to feed your baby can help you establish what support items you may need and what tasks will need to be accomplished. These lists are not exclusive! There is a lot more that could help support your journey, but this is a starting point.
If you plan to exclusively breastfeed:
Silverettes are magic for your nipples early postpartum! Silver has healing properties, and is commonly used in bandages to enhance healing, so wearing Silverettes between feeds can soothe your nipples from discomfort and help heal any damage. Use code MAMASTEFIT15 for 15% off (not an affiliate code/we receive no compensation, just a discount from Silverette for our readers).
Haakaa or Milk Catcher: There is a lot of leaking the first few weeks (maybe months) postpartum, so being able to catch that milk can help you build a stash and also keep your clothes dry. Haakaa is a crowd favorite, but there are a lot of options available for milk catchers. Breastpads can also help manage leaking milk!
Haakaa + Epsom Salt: Another way a Haakka could be helpful is that it can help with clogged ducts! Fill the Haakaa with warm water and Epsom salt, and then suction it over your nipple. It will pull the clog out!
Lots of pillows: pillows can help provide some support while holding baby to nurse. If you hold baby without any support, eventually you may find that your upper back, neck, shoulder, or even wrist can start to hurt! Pillows can provide comfort for you while nursing.
Lactation Support: having a plan of who to call if you experience issues can alleviate some frustration early on. If you are unsure if your baby has a great latch, or not sure if symptoms you are feeling are related to latch or normal, it can be helpful to have an IBCLC or lactation consultant available to communicate with. Some LCs will come to your home for visits, other do virtual consults, and some you need to go to their office. Ask around before birth for recommendations in your local area. If you don’t have someone local, many IBCLCs do virtual consults! Some of our favorites are Goldilacts (Roxanne used them virtually for breastfeeding support).
If you plan to pump (exclusive pumping is still considered breastfeeding, but involves a different method):
Breast pump: many insurances will cover the purchase of a new breast pump for each pregnancy, and many will also cover pump parts, bags, and more! Ask your insurance what they will cover because it can help a ton financially. Choosing your pump that best suits your needs will be important. Personally, I would choose a portable or chargeable pump so that I can move freely with the pump and not be restricted to being near an outlet. Then explore other features that you may think you will need. Do you need to pump at work, or will you need to pump on the go? If you need to move a lot while pumping (taking care of toddlers or job demands, for example), then a wireless pump may be a great option such as the Willow or Elvie pump. I use the Willow pump while supporting births and Roxanne uses it while working as a nurse, since we can bend over and move around without any milk coming out. There are Facebook groups dedicated to comparing the Willow and Elvie pump!
Milk storage: the type of pump you use may determine the type of bags you can use. But generally, you can use any milk storage bag to store your milk in. Ensure that you don’t fill the bags too much though! Having a container to put in the fridge or freezer can also help with milk storage.
Flange Size: Make sure your flange is the proper size for your nipple! There are some online resources that help you figure this out, but working with a CLC can also help you figure out what size you may need!
Extra chargers and parts for pump
Bag for pump/pump parts
Milk storage container for on-the-go
Bottles and cleaning supplies
Bra or tank top for pumping: Something that can hold the pump hands free is a game-changer with pumping!!
Establish a schedule for pumping that helps you maintain your supply (a CLC can help you figure out this schedule + our resource below)
Resources: @Bemybreastfriend on IG has some great resources on pumping!
If you plan to formula feed:
Bottles and cleaning supplies for bottles: You may need to explore different bottle options to figure out what your baby likes best!
Formula: Some brands or types of formula may be covered by insurance! You may need to explore different options.
Routine for feeding, prep, and so on! Understanding your routine or protocol can help you manage time involved with preparing bottles for your baby.
Travel Bag for on the go feeding. Some hot/cold containers can keep the temperature of your formula or water for a period of time, and could be helpful to take on the go.
Resources: @theformulamom on IG has some great resources on choosing the best formula for you and your family.
Early postpartum can be tough! There is a lot going on healing wise, so we need to focus on optimizing our own healing, but we also still need to take care of our baby + manage day to day tasks of our household. Focusing on rest as much as you can the first two weeks postpartum can support healing; prioritize household tasks with your support team or with your partner; plan for nourishment postpartum, such as preparing meals ahead of time or ordering meal delivery; and then choosing how you plan to feed your baby are all ways we can support thriving early postpartum!