Preparing For Postpartum by Amber Gibson

As a midwife and lactation consultant, time and time again when I visit women postnatally at home, I hear women say ‘I prepared so much for the labour and birth and didn’t prepare enough for after’, ‘I wish I prepared for breastfeeding more’ and ‘I wish I prepared for my baby more’. Postpartum preparation really needs to go beyond the perfect nursery! I encourage women and their partner/ support people to educate themselves about their baby as much as possible!

If you are wanting to breastfeed… do a class, watch videos about deep attachment, know how normal it is for feeds to be long initially, how regularly newborns feed, and that they feed for reasons other than hunger! If you plan on bottle feeding- read up about it as much as you can, watch videos on how to do paced bottle feeding! Feeding your baby is such a big part of having a newborn!

Learn all about The Fourth Trimester, how normal it is for your bub to want to be held in between feeds, as they need the comfort of being close to you! You cannot spoil a newborn, you are not creating bad habits! Your baby needs to be close to you! When you have learnt about this and know it’s normal then you can plan and prepare for it! Knowledge is power! I encourage all expectant couples to set up a postpartum plan.

A postpartum plan is where Mums-to-be and their partner/ support person sit down and think about what they can put in place in pregnancy to support them as the navigate, rest and bond in the newborn bubble.

Things to consider…

Visitors, what boundaries do you need to have around visitors, who can be there to help you and what that may look like, such as cooking for you, doing some washing/ cleaning, cuddling your bub while you shower/nap.

Food- in the weeks leading up to the birth, start freezing single portion labelled meals, have one handed snacks sorted and think about what can help you postpartum such as… a meal train, supermarket home delivery, a weekly fruit and vegetable box and/ or a meal service.

Professional support- having a good GP and a local lactation consultant you can call on if you need, a postpartum physio and having a mental health plan in place if you need.

Emotional support- Do you have another mum friend who you can call and vent to when you need? Write a self care checklist, 10 things that are important for you for your mental health and do one thing each every day for you even if it’s only for 15 minutes! Get your partner to do this also!

My biggest advice, is to educate yourself about postpartum, do classes, read books, have a good understanding of life with a newborn and what to expect. Then set up your support network in any way you can!

I have lots of guides on instagram about newborns and breastfeeding, so check out @bodybirthandbaby for lots of education!

Good luck mamas.

With love,
Amber

Amber Gibson has been a midwife for 9 years and it was her experience in continuity of care and home visiting that she became passionate about postpartum work, so became a private midwife, lactation consultant and started her own private practice ‘Body, Birth & Baby’. Amber is passionate about educating parents to be, not just about birth but also breastfeeding and postpartum, and believes antenatal education is key. bodybirthandbaby.com.au | @bodybirthandbaby