I created a Prepare for Your Postpartum Course to fill the gap I see in the preconception-pregnancy-birth-postpartum world. There is a lot of emphasis on the pregnancy and the birth (for very good reason) but that emphasis falls off quickly in the postpartum period, when a mother is in one of the most vulnerable stages of her life. My goal with this course was to give mothers a framework for their healing and recovery postpartum so that they feel supported and cared for during this time. Over the next handful of weeks I'm going to be sharing more information on what I believe is the five basic principles of postpartum.
This week's topic is on your community.
The postpartum period is a time of calling in those around you. How can you get support so that you have people to lean on during a time when you are at your most vulnerable? The purpose of this is to set up help for meals, house cleaning, laundry, watching other kids you have, or anything else you may want help with.
Once you have your physical circumstances addressed, also note who you have around that you can talk to, vent to, cry to, laugh to as you journey through motherhood for the first, fifth, or tenth time. The community of support is there for both your physical and mental wellbeing. This is especially a period of time when you should not be isolated from the world. You will be at home doing minimal work, yes, but that does not include staying all by yourself.
Having a community also doesn’t necessarily mean 10, 15, or 20 people. Having 2-3 people around you who you can ask for help can definitely be adequate and beneficial. The saying that it takes a village to raise a child should also include that it takes a village to hold a mother. Create your village.
Things to consider:
Who is around you that you can call in or lean on when your baby has arrived?
Practice asking for help, even in very small ways in your life right now. It may be uncomfortable but it is a necessary skill.
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