There shouldn’t be a “hustle” mentality in postpartum.
The number one thing you should do after having a baby.
During pregnancy, the body does an incredible job of moving and shifting things around to make room for a baby. Once the baby is born it takes time for things to shift back into place and for the body to heal from what is one of the most physical jobs it can do, birth.
Prioritizing lots of rest during the first few weeks of postpartum is the number one thing you should do in postpartum. I spent the first week in bed 90% of the time and didn’t go anywhere that wasn’t an appointment until he was about two or three weeks old and even that felt overwhelming.
Rest. In other cultures like Latin America, Malaysia, China and Korea there is a *huge* emphasis on postpartum recovery and typically there is a lying-in period where other women take care of the mother and household tasks for 3-4 weeks, so the mother can rest, regain strength, and take care of her baby. It makes me so sad and frustrated that there isn’t more support like this in the United States and new mothers are expected and even praised for rejoining society right after delivery. What would the postpartum journey look like for so many families if there was adequate support, nourishment, rest, and education?
Social media and the comparison game can leave you feeling like you aren’t doing enough in postpartum. We see the highlight reels of mother’s with new babies and wonder why we aren’t able to go for a walk, go out to breakfast, travel for vacation, clean the house, start working out, or simply get ready to for the day…the list goes on, but that’s not your story.
Everyone recovers at different rates and you should never feel pressured to do more than what you feel capable of. No one should be hustling anywhere after having a baby. Lay in bed and allow your body to heal from brining a baby into the world.
What was your postpartum experience like? Were you able to stay in bed and rest or were there other expectations and needs that you had to take care of? What would your ideal postpartum rest experience look like?