After having Addy I truly realized what postpartum meant. From recovering from a C-section, to going through postpartum anxiety, & having a crazy breastfeeding/pumping journey- I found a passion in postpartum care.
So much is focused on the baby, which I get & agree with. But I don’t agree with the hoops moms have to go through to get postpartum care & support. I always thought doulas or midwives were the alternative support team you could have in postpartum but I quickly realized after interviewing 10 or so, that they assist you mostly in pregnancy & birth with maybe one or two postpartum visits that you have to pay extra for. Then you have to pay extra for a lactation consultant who mostly think breastfeeding should look the same for everyone. They are not all educated in pumping and the difference between exclusive pumping & exclusive breastfeeding.
Why aren’t there people who welcome you into motherhood (no matter how many kids you’ve had) with goodie baskets full of postpartum essentials for MOM? Or someone who is educated in all things breastfeeding, pumping, & formula feeding that assist you to feed your child in the best way for YOU.
I swear I would love to be a postpartum ‘doula’ so to say. Let me welcome you home with everything you will need & quietly do your dishes, laundry, and whatever you need while your sole responsibility is to bond with your baby.
That’s another thing that drives me nuts. In postpartum everyone says “call me if you want to take a shower or do dishes and I’ll watch the baby.” I’m sorry but I didn’t want anyone bonding with my baby while I did household chores. I wanted to just lay in bed recovering & learning to breastfeed while everything else was taken care of for me.
I wanted someone to prepare me with things I needed to recover so I could be the best mom in these early days. But everyone tells you to get lots of diapers and wipes and pacifiers. No one tells you to get adult diapers or hemorrhoid cream or vaginal ice pads. Instead you’re navigating this new life with this new body unprepared and hormonal as hell.
Maybe one day I’ll actually pursue this passion of helping women navigate postpartum. Catering to their specific needs and giving them tools or resources that work for THEM. Because one size does not fit all.
In the meantime, I’ll continue to bring awareness through this platform & hope I can touch a few people to share the love & support- judgment free. Hopefully I can encourage you to buy gifts to help soon-to-be moms through postpartum instead of more baby things. I can guarantee you mama will get everything she needs & more for her baby, but she won’t get nearly the things she needs for herself. We are not selfish for taking care of ourselves alongside our beautiful babies.
My sister-in-law just had our second niece in February. Even though she has a four year old, she was still nervous for postpartum. So I did what I do best and made the greatest postpartum care basket the week before she was due. I also created a big sister basket for our niece that she could give to her (and take one thing off my SIL plate) to help her prepare for her new sissy. I can promise you the best way to show love and support for a new baby is by letting the mama bond with her baby and you take care of the mama.
Here are some things I included in the postpartum basket I made for my SIL! If you have any other suggestions or MUST HAVES drop a comment below!!!
None of this is an AD- I don’t even have an Amazon Associates account! I won’t make any money on any of these products!!
