Creating a Postpartum Plan
We hear a lot about birth plans, or as we like to call them birth preferences, because sometimes the baby doesn’t know the plan. Chances are, if you’re pregnant right now, you’ve probably started to put some thought into your birth plan. But what about your postpartum plan? How much thinking have you put into that? Here at Doulas of Raleigh, we believe that your postpartum plan is just as important - if not more so - than your birth plan. So take a look at today’s blog to see how you can create yours.
When you begin creating a postpartum plan, it can be helpful to break this plan into three parts: the physical, the educational, and the emotional. (Which coincidentally happen to be the ways your doula will support you!) So let’s approach those three areas of the plan.
Physical
If you created a birth plan, you probably put some thought into what you wanted the physical space that you would be birthing in to look and feel like. So let’s put that same thought into your postpartum space.
Start by imagining yourself home with your new baby. Look all around - your living room, your kitchen, your bedroom, the nursery - and visualize what it will be like to be in those spaces with your newborn. Do you have a place to change your baby’s diapers in your downstairs living room? In your bedroom in the middle of the night? What about a place to safely set your baby down in the living room or the kitchen? Where and how will you feed your baby? Can you create a comfy, cozy spot on your couch where you will be relaxed and ready to breastfeed? If you’re giving bottles, do you have dedicated counter and cabinet space in your kitchen for everything?
It’s also very important to think about who will be in that physical space with you. When you envision bringing your baby home from the hospital, who will be there? Just you and your partner? Grandparents, older siblings, or pets? (Speaking of siblings and pets, this is also the time to think about what they will need - who will care for them while you’re at the hospital? How will their physical space change when a new baby enters the home?) Will you have a postpartum doula to greet you when you walk in the door?
If you are limiting the number of people in your physical space, think about how long you want to wait before inviting friends and family over. Who in your circle are true helpers and will come ready to support you? And who are the visitors that are only coming for baby face time while you host them? Think carefully about when those visitors are invited into your postpartum nest.
Let’s revisit the kitchen too, specifically the food in the kitchen. Part of this planning should include nutrition and meals. Are you part of a community that will set up a meal train for you? (If so, never say no to the postpartum meal train.) Do you have close friends and family local to you that would consider bringing some freezer meals before your due date? Or maybe you can have a “nesting” party with your friends and prepare some meals ahead of time with them? Stock the kitchen with menus from your favorite take out places. Request Grubhub or Door Dash gift certificates when anyone asks you if there’s any last minute needs or put this on your registry. You will find yourself so busy feeding a baby in the first few weeks, that you will easily forget to feed yourself. But good nutrition is so important so plan ahead!
Putting the thought into your physical space and physical needs now will help you feel prepared to bring your baby home with confidence.
Educational
Next, let’s spend some time thinking about how you can prepare yourself educationally for postpartum. This starts with asking yourself and your partner how much newborn care experience do you both have? How confident are you when it comes to caring for a brand new baby? You should probably consider a Newborn Care Class to help prepare you if the answer to those questions was a little iffy.
Your goals for infant sleep and infant feeding, as well as your overall parenting philosophies, are also part of the educational planning. When you envision feeding your new baby, what does that look like? Do you feel fully prepared and educated to meet those feeding goals? An Infant Feeding class can be another really helpful class to build your confidence heading into postpartum. How do you envision your partner supporting your feeding goals? Communicating needs and desires before your baby is here is a good idea. If there are challenges meeting the original plan, what kind of support or resources do you envision enlisting? Research and gather those now. Do you have a plan B for feeding? What does that look like and what do you need to implement the backup plan?
What do you imagine infant sleep will look like? Will your baby sleep in your room initially? When do you plan to transition to the crib? Where will your baby sleep during the day and how will daytime sleep look different from nighttime sleep? When you think about sleep, do you envision a more structured routine or is your family more of a go-with-the-flow, sleep-on-the-fly kind of family? Are you and your partner on the same page with these sleeping goals. Part of creating your postpartum plan is communicating now so that both parents can be in sync with the most important goals and desires for parenting.
Will there be other people responsible for facilitating infant sleep? A grandparent, a nanny, another family member? Are these people up to date and familiar with current safe sleep guidelines? If not, encouraging more education in this area or taking a grandparents' class could be beneficial.
Emotional
And finally, but certainly of equal importance, is the emotional planning that goes into postpartum. You are about to meet a whole new person! And most likely a whole new version of yourself and your partner as you transition into parenthood together. And that is not always easy. What can you do now to prepare yourself emotionally for your postpartum recovery?
One of the most critical needs for your mental health is good sleep. No one can be their best selves for very long when they are chronically exhausted and sleep-deprived. So put a plan in place now for how you will get some good, quality sleep in those early weeks. Maybe you plan to hire a postpartum doula for overnight or daytime care or perhaps you have a trusted family member who will prioritize visits where they can watch the baby and you can nap. You can also consider a plan with your partner where you each take shifts throughout the night to ensure that both parents are getting sleep. No matter what this looks like for you, figure out a way to prioritize your sleep needs.
Part of your postpartum planning should also consider how you emotionally navigate periods of overwhelm and exhaustion. Some days in new parenthood will have you feeling like all you did was feed and care for a baby - and trust us, that is ENOUGH! But how do you feel emotionally letting go of other things - chores, laundry, dishes, meal prepping and planning, time for your own self care, etc. If the answer was not so good, then start thinking now about how you are going to outsource some of those things and also create a support system that will allow you to care for yourself in addition to your baby. (If you haven't figured it out yet, adding a doula to your postpartum recovery plan is always a good idea!)
If you have a history of any mood or anxiety disorders, planning for your mental health is also going to be critical. While any new parent is at risk of developing a perinatal mood and anxiety disorder (PMAD) during the postpartum period, if you have a history of mental health challenges, then you are at higher risk for a PMAD. If you are currently seeing a therapist, begin talking about when you should schedule some postpartum check-ins to make sure you are handling this major transition well. If you take medication for your mental health, discuss with your provider how that medication will affect pregnancy or breastfeeding (if that is your plan). There are so many options out there that are breastfeeding friendly. And lastly, put a plan in place with your partner and support people (whether that's a doula, friend, or family member) about what to do if they begin noticing any signs or symptoms of a PMAD. There is great education on the Postpartum Support International website about what these things look like, so go ahead and do a little research now if you are someone that is at increased risk.
Thinking now about how you expect to feel at 1 week postpartum, 6 weeks postpartum, 6 months postpartum, or more is part of a great postpartum plan. If the reality of how you are doing mentally or emotionally when those times actually come is very far off from what you expected, you'll be prepared thanks to your postpartum plan.