There are more than enough resources telling you how to take care of your newborn baby after birth. But the baby isn’t the only one whose body just experienced a major medical event! Now, if you’re an expecting mom reading this, you may need to start by advocating for yourself. So share this with your partner and anyone else close to you and ask them for help with this. (Also check out our other post on care for new dads!)

 

1. Have a plan for your emotions.

You’re going to experience intense emotions during and after your birth. Often childbirth causes emotions related to other experiences to rise up. So have a plan already in place. Whether you find a lot of comfort in journaling, or you plan to talk through your feelings with a trusted friend or older woman, or you schedule a session with your therapist just for birth, have something. That goes doubly if you have any trauma or mental health struggles around your parents, your childhood, or your own body.

 

2. Go very easy on yourself.

You don’t need to “get back to normal.” You need to heal, and adjust to a very new life. So plan to nap a lot, make food that’s easy to cook, and don’t worry about how messy your house is. Don’t make social plans, and if you can, ask people who want to come over if they can take care of a chore for you while they’re there. If you work, take as much time off as you possibly can.

 

3. Nourish, nourish, nourish.

In many countries around the world, new mothers undergo a 40-day “confinement” period where they stay home, follow certain healing rituals, and eat only certain foods. We don’t pretend to be nutritionists, but eat the most nutrient-dense foods that you can. If you’re breastfeeding, never sit down to nurse without a drink close by. If you had any bleeding, make sure to get iron-rich foods to support healthy blood restoration.

 

4. Cultivate a habit of sharing all the joys with your partner.

This time after birth is for falling in love all over again — with the baby, with your partner, with your new life. It’s going to be magical in many ways, and magnifying that magic by intentionally experiencing it together will strengthen your bond and help you through the hard moments.

Baby Discovery Box Team