How to Prepare for Postpartum During Pregnancy: 8 Ways to Create a Helpful Support System

During pregnancy, you’ll probably spend a lot of time preparing for your baby’s birth. And that’s wonderful. It’s important, too. Your birth experience matters.

However, the postpartum period deserves some preparation, too. Those first few days, weeks, and months are a time of huge transitions. You’re discovering who your baby is, and you’re also beginning to understand who you are as a parent — or a parent of multiple children. Postpartum can be magical yet challenging, so that’s why it’s crucial to prepare before your baby is born.

But what does that preparation look like? What types of conversations need to happen? What lists do you need to make, and who should be assigned certain tasks? At Roots Community Birth Center, we believe it’s crucial to set clear expectations and boundaries before your baby’s birth. In this blog, we’ll highlight one of our clients and share eight ways to create a helpful postpartum support system. Let’s dive in!

Maria’s Postpartum Story

After Maria Gonzalez gave birth to her second baby at Roots in February 2022, her loved ones were ready to help her. She recently shared how she and her partner were able to set up this wonderful support system. “Both of our families have been really helpful from the second I gave birth to my son,” Maria said “Most of my partner’s family doesn’t live here. They live in Dallas, but his mom stayed for an entire week.”

In addition, Maria describes her mother as “very hands-on” — someone who was willing to do whatever was necessary, whether it was making breakfast, taking the dog outside, or helping with the baby in the middle of the night. “My sisters, who are 20 and 13, cleaned my house,” Maria added. “It was nice that they understood that we needed help.”

One of the most essential tasks for Maria’s support system was making sure her first child, a 4-year-old daughter, was well cared for. “She just had a new brother, and she’s a high-spirited kid,” Maria noted. “Having people take care of her and make sure she was not missing out on anything was important.”

Maria is grateful for a wonderful postpartum support system, but she emphasized that it did not just happen. She and her partner had to prepare, and she encourages other birthing parents to do the same. Here are some suggestions to consider.

8 Ways to Create a Postpartum Support System During Pregnancy

Educate Yourself

Self-education is an excellent way to begin preparing for the postpartum period. A couple of our favorite books are Like a Mother: A Feminist Journey Through the Science and Culture of Pregnancy and The First Forty Days: The Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother. In addition to reading books on your own, we suggest classes, including our Early Home Care course at Roots. “Everyone was doing their own research, like what foods would help me and how to cook certain things,” Maria shared.

Include Your Partner

While you’re still pregnant, begin discussions with your partner about your postpartum expectations. Consider the tasks each of you normally does when it comes to household duties and child care (if you already have little ones). Then think about the additional tasks — like changing diapers and washing pump or bottle parts — that will become part of your life when the baby is born. How will you manage these new responsibilities with existing ones, such as cooking meals and doing laundry? What tasks can you rely on other family members or support people to complete? Try to list out as many of these responsibilities as possible before the baby arrives so everyone knows their role.

Communicate Clear Expectations

After you and your partner have made a plan, communicate your needs to your support team. This might include your parents, your partner’s parents, your siblings, other family members or loved ones, trusted friends, a postpartum doula, or any combination of these folks. You get to choose who is in your postpartum circle and when you want to invite them in. Be clear about your wishes, but it’s also OK to leave room for flexibility. Maria remembered how her mom told her, “I’m here. Let me know what you need, and I will do my part.”

Set Boundaries

Just as it’s important to tell folks what you want, it’s also critical to voice your wishes for what you do not want. These conversations can be tough. A common example is holding the baby. Many grandparents and other loved ones want baby snuggles. And it’s understandable; you grew an adorable tiny human. But the person the baby needs most during the first few weeks is you! Especially if you’re nursing, skin-to-skin time and close contact with your newborn will foster your breastfeeding relationship. Prepare your loved ones for these types of scenarios before the baby is born. “You don’t have the mental space to have those conversations after the baby is born,” Maria wisely said.

Prioritize Rest

During the immediate postpartum period, rest is crucial. Remember all those tasks we previously mentioned? You should not be doing them during the first couple weeks! Your body will be recovering from the birth. In fact, there will be a large wound inside your uterus that needs time to heal. All of this is happening while your body is simultaneously working to produce milk for your baby. Make sure your support team understands this healing process and knows how important it is for you to stay in bed and rest as much as possible.

Assign Caretaking for Older Children

If you already have youngsters at home, it’s essential that your support team is available to care for them. Maybe this means feeding them breakfast, transporting them to daycare or school, or reading books together about becoming a big sibling. Special outings, like a trip for ice cream or an afternoon at the playground, can also be encouraging for older children as they adjust to having a new baby around.

Create Postpartum Care Stations

In your bathroom, stock some helpful items like pads, adult diapers, perineal cold packs, a peri bottle, and sitz bath supplies. You can also set up parent-and-baby stations around your home. These areas could be next to a nursing chair or by the couch — anywhere you think you’ll be spending a lot of time feeding and holding your newborn. Stock them with a phone charger, list of favorite podcasts, water bottle, nipple cream, diapers, wipes, or anything else you think might come in handy.

Continue the Support

Even beyond the six-week postpartum mark, you can still call on your support system. In Maria’s case, her mom is available two days per week and often spends the night at their home. “She takes over with the baby, which allows me to run errands, sleep, or have a date night with my partner,” Maria said. “It’s nice to have normalcy.” Maria also praised her partner’s grandmother, who’s been available to consistently support them. “His family made it very clear from the beginning, saying, ‘We’re here to take care of you. Whatever you need, it’s done.’ His grandparents have us over for dinner, and they’ve called and checked on a regular basis. I’m super grateful.”

Takeaways about Postpartum Support

When you give birth with the Roots team, we are here to support you during the postpartum period. And we realize that you might not have family members who are able to be physically present after your baby is born. If you need recommendations for postpartum doulas or books, let us know!

We will see Roots families three times in their first week postpartum and then again at the two, four and six week marks.

Additionally, we have a free Lactation/Body Feeding Group on the First and Third Tuesday of every month from 10am-noon.

Looking for more information about how to have a supported postpartum time? Check out Five Ways Your Partner Can Support You in Postpartum by Hello Postpartum!

To learn more about birth and postpartum services, please contact us. You can set up a free consultation by calling us at 612-338-2784 or filling out our form!