A sacred time to be claimed (wherever possible). It won't just happen, it takes planning and discipline. Here's how...

Many cultures all over the world consider this time to be a sacred pause, important for longevity. In our very fast paced modern culture, this has been somewhat lost. You may move in circles (physically or online) where it’s even praised for women to ‘get up and go’ soon after birth, whether that’s to social events, fitness classes or even literally standing up and cooking/cleaning/hosting too soon. Of course ‘too soon’ is a relative term but many cultures, including in part the NHS, agree on a 6-week period to be a tender time for healing. From a modern medical perspective, much of the disorientation that can occur in childbirth (e.g. tears, diastasis recti and bleeding) will tend to ‘heal themselves’ mostly during those first 6 weeks with proper rest. If this period is missed, it can take a whole lot longer for these conditions to return to a healthy and comfortable state.

You will already have so much going on emotionally and physically in that early postpartum period so it’s important to set the scene beforehand.

Who can you reach out to for support?

How can you voice to them what you need?

Below I have listed some ideas…

• Set up a Mealtrain where friends and family can volunteer to cook and deliver a meal for you and your partner

• Speak with your nearest and dearest and let them know what kind of privacy is important to you and/or where you would greatly appreciate their presence

• If you do have close friends and family willing to help, let them know beforehand how you’d like them to help - them holding your baby is nice for them but may not really be the best help to you 

• Alternatively, if these loved ones are kindly wanting to get you a gift, they'll want to get the right thing/something that will be of real use - don't be afraid to tell them what that would be for you (Mama Mooney Gift Cards are available to purchase here)

• If you don’t have close friends or family in your area or you don’t think they have the capacity to fulfil your wishes, consider hiring help; this could be a postpartum doula, a cleaner, childcare for other children, a healthy wholesome food delivery service - work out what would be of greatest benefit to you

Personally, I am thinking of my postpartum period like a panchakarma which I have done a number of times in my adult life. In this day and age, it is so easy to turn to distraction, to instead choose to tune into exactly where you’re at takes real discipline. To say no to the outside world and retreat with your baby may sound rather magical, but will no doubt have its challenges too. It will however be an investment.

Give your baby (who’s just been through a HUGE change by leaving the secluded warm womb) time to get to learn your smell, to work out how to latch on, to feel safe and secure in your arms. Give yourself time to heal, to bond, to go slow. You’ll no doubt be up at all hours and therefore it’s important you get all the rest you can when you can. 

It’s not often we get to take time out of the world like this. There’s a reason Maternity Leave exists (and as a person who works for themselves and does not receive maternity pay from any employer, I can say that missing this period of rest, recovery and bonding will most likely not be useful for your business in the long term). Can you give yourself permission to put you and your baby at the centre of you universe and invest in your future? I believe you can mama!