5 Things You Can Do To Prepare For a Successful 4th Trimester

We spend a lot of time preparing for childbirth. We find a healthcare provider we trust. We take childbirth education classes. We read books. We meet with potential doulas. We care for our bodies with prenatal massages, dietary changes, and prenatal vitamins. We make a registry for our baby and create a space for them in our home. These things have all become part of a wonderful ritual before baby is born. In our culture, we don’t put much emphasis on postpartum preparation. The 4th trimester is a time of healing and restoration and we can plan for it. If we do that, we can care for our minds, our bodies, ourselves and our families and we can make space for this unique time in our lives. 

Here are 5 things you can do to prepare for a successful 4th trimester:

1. Establish Boundaries

Take some time with your partner to envision what you want those first few days, weeks and months to look like. It’s such a wonderful time to get to know your new little human, to introduce them to your home, your family and your world. And it’s a time when your mind and body need to heal. Your new normal might take some getting used to both logistically and emotionally. It’s okay to want all the people to stop by and meet your new person and it’s okay to want time with just your little one. It’s also okay not to know just yet WHAT you want or need. This is a great time to decide some rules and share them with friends and family in advance. Also start practicing saying YES to help when asked and ‘no thank you’ when that fits best. 

2. Rest

This is pretty self explanatory, but the truth is, as a culture, we are pretty terrible at this. It is important to recognize that you have just grown a human. And you gave birth to that human which takes incredible physical and mental strength. This completely normal and awesome process requires rest to recover from. Around the world, birthing people are expected to rest for weeks or months following birth. This helps the body heal, gives bonding time with your baby, and provides space to balance inside and out.

This is an excellent thing to build into your postpartum plan. Identify people in your life to do some of the things you typically do. Some things won’t get done and that’s okay too. 

3. Nourish

Food is medicine. We need it to survive, but also, it feeds the soul! It’s so important to prepare to feed the family and the birthing person in the postpartum period. Doing meal prep in advance or inviting your friend that offers help, to organize a meal train can be an incredible addition to your 4th trimester plan. Filling your freezer before birth with easy to make meals like a yummy lasagna or one of these great freezer meals (I still make these on the regular for our family) can be great as well. 

Sometimes we need a little extra help figuring out what our ‘new’ body needs. There are really excellent nutritionists that are trained and experienced helping people identify what their postpartum bodies need - check out the ORIGIN directory for a few in our community. The First Forty Days is an excellent book about the traditional Chinese period of time where the birthing person is cared for and nourished after childbirth.

4. Establish Breast/Chest Feeding Support

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding of infants for the first six months of life and supports breastfeeding for 2+ years. Establishing breastfeeding is hard work and the best thing you can do to be successful is to prepare. Establish care with an IBCLC before baby is born so that if you need help, you can easily find it. We have many wonderful lactation consultants in the Denver area, including in our foothills community. Learn about normal newborn feeding behaviors, about how your own medical history might play a role in successful breast/chest feeding and address any concerns or questions in advance of your little one’s arrival. Most dyads are able to have long and wonderful breast/chest feeding relationships - sometimes we just need a little help. Lactation support can be a great tool for building confidence as we learn this incredible new skill and can come from breast/chest feeding support groups, one on one consultations or virtually and knowing what’s available to you in advance will be a big help.

Partners often wonder how they can help and support in breast/chest feeding as well. A few ideas: 

• Make snack baskets for your partner and place them with a phone charger and a remote control in their favorite places to sit and nurse;

• Keep your partner’s water bottle full;

• Help get baby ready to eat by waking them up and step in if baby needs a burp or a diaper change; 

• Ensure your partner feels loved and cared for  - they are working HARD. 

5. Protect Your Mental Health

There are a lot of changes we can plan for and some that we cannot. We can make sure that the chores get done by other people, that the dog gets walked and the kids get fed. We also must consider that pregnancy, birth and breast/chest feeding all impact how our bodies work. Hormones play a significant role in all of these biological processes and can impact how we feel as well. Partners, friends, family and care providers are all pieces of our support systems. Creating a postpartum plan, creating the space for rest, nourishing our minds, bodies and souls, and creating a breast/chest feeding plan all will play a role in protecting the mental health of birthing people. 

We must also find additional support when needed and knowing where to do that in advance is an important part of your 4th trimester plan. Postpartum Support International is a great place to start to learn more about what you might experience with different perinatal mood and anxiety disorders and where to find help. If you’re in a foothills community or in Denver, ORIGIN can point you in the right direction for additional help as well. 

Check out the ORIGIN provider directory for postpartum practitioners that can help you during and after the 4th trimester including massage therapists, mental health professionals, acupuncturists, postpartum doulas, lactation specialists and nutritionists. We are so happy to be here to support your family!