Most expectant parents have heard of birth plans, and it is now common for families to have a document listing their preferences for their birth experience. But have you spent any time thinking about your postpartum plan? Here are my top five reasons why you should.
- Giving birth is a day you will remember for the rest of your life. But after that day, you are a parent forever, and what happens in those intense early days and weeks will influence your relationships to those closest to you. Having a plan in place allows you to focus on resting and bonding with your baby, and clearly communicating your hopes, dreams, preferences, and fears with your support team can make the whole process go much more smoothly.
- Feeding and sleep are huge challenges for nearly all newborns and parents. When you are pouring all of your resources into taking care of your baby’s needs, routine tasks that you have been doing all your life can feel impossible. Planning ahead means that you have already determined what must be maintained during this season (and what can be paused until things become more normal), and who is available to make sure those essential tasks get done.
- You probably have friends and family who would love to help but might not know what you really need. Since our culture no longer has a default support system for new parents, it is up to each family to plan and organize for their own experience. You may already know what you want and how your community can help, or you may reach out by explaining your planning process and asking others what they would like to be available for.
- Most new parents will also need support in the form of professionals and groups you might not have known about before. A postpartum plan gives you the opportunity to consider, research, and reach out in advance, before you are overwhelmed with a crisis situation. You won’t regret already having contact information on hand for lactation consultants, mental health support, community groups, chiropractors, postpartum doulas, or any other services you anticipate possibly needing in the early days.
- Just like a birth “plan”, a postpartum plan doesn’t guarantee everything will go the way you hope in the first few months of your baby’s life. One of the great lessons of parenthood is learning how to live with something that you care about so deeply that is also so much out of your control. But the more prepared you can be with the important conversations and resources to call upon as needed, the better your chances of enjoying a postpartum experience you will cherish for years to come. No matter what happens, the feelings of being supported and cared for in your experience will stay with you as the years go by.
If you would like more resources for supporting your postpartum planning journey, consider joining my next in-person postpartum planning workshop, booking a virtual “ask me anything” session, or downloading the free Nesting Journal that I have filled with questions, checklists, and conversation starters to get you thinking.