What you can do to ensure you are sleeping more.
Everyone tells you how much your baby will sleep once they are earthside but no one tells you how tired you'll be. What if I told you that sleep deprivation does not have to be a part of your postpartum journey?
It doesn't! Here are things we can do to ensure that we are taking the best care of baby AND Mom/Dad/Parents etc. The secret to an "as smooth as possible" postpartum period is planning. Yep. It is really that simple. In a perfect world everyone has access to a postpartum doula to help them with caring for the baby/babies, we know that is not the reality.
I like to help my clients come up with a plan prenatally to help with the transition after baby is born.
We all know how much everyone loves babies! They want to come see you as soon as you deliver. They want to hear all about your birth! Well what if we created a visiting calendar? This calendar has times blocked off where friends and family come over and assist you with a task like meal prepping, laundry and other household chores. Then they can spend time with baby while you nap. Parents repeat this mantra after me " I shall not entertain guest! I shall not entertain guest! I shall not entertain guest". As funny as it seems, I want you to remember this because naturally we want to be hospitable when people enter our homes, but postpartum is not the time for it. Taking care of yourself will help you heal physically and emotionally. Lean on your tribe and ask for help.
If you are alone I recommend joining a support group prenatally and creating friends there, that way you have people in your corner. In the support group you can create a place for people to support and care for one another during and after pregnancy. You can create meal trains and plan for who will visit and on what days. Keep it simple.
I understand that everyone won't have these options. Don't you worry there is a plan for you as well. When baby sleeps you sleep! It sounds so simple but trust me when you're home alone and bored you'll try and clean and cook and do all the things you shouldn't. Remember your baby doesn't care if the house is clean, your baby wants you healing and bonding that's it.
Keep in mind that after delivery the of your baby your womb has a wound the size of your placenta. It is such hard work for your body to recover if you are not giving it time to heal. In your postpartum period try to rest, eat well and talk about all the emotions you feel.
If you have any questions please reach out.