3 Tips for a Smooth Fourth Trimester
UPDATED: JULY 2021
The fourth trimester (aka. the couple months post-birth) is a transitional period. Not only is your body going through physical changes to return back (mostly) to it's pre-pregnancy status, you now have a baby to care for (which unfortunately doesn't come with an instruction manual)!
Most of your focus is now on your baby, and making sure they are healthy - are they eating enough? Sleeping enough? Doing enough tummy time?
But at the same time, are you eating enough? Are you sleeping enough? Are you getting the support that you need and deserve? It’s essential to remember that your health is just as important as your baby’s. After all, you cannot serve from an empty cup. Here are a few ways to ensure that you can take care of your baby and yourself at the same time:
Breastfeeding/Chestfeeding
Many of us know the benefits associated with breastfeeding/chestfeeding, especially ensuring that your baby's digestive tract is populated with good bacteria from your breastmilk which helps decrease the risk of getting allergic conditions like asthma, allergies and eczema.
Skin to skin contact is a great way to help your baby bond with you, and may help with latching. It also helps with their temperature, breath and heart rate, weight gain and sleep.
Breastfeeding/chestfeeding is not intuitive though. It’s a skill that’s learned. And if you’re experiencing any trouble with supply or ensuring that you baby is effectively transferring milk, you should definitely contact a lactation consultant.
Teas, tinctures, and specific products can be helpful - but the truth of the matter is that it all comes down to latch. Have it assessed if you can. After I gave birth, I saw a lactation consultant at home a few days later.
If you're breastfeeding/chestfeeding remember to keep water close by (to stay hydrated) and ensure that you are eating about 25g more protein that you typically do. You should also consider continuing your prenatal vitamin, as well as a DHA (for you) to continue to support your baby’s brain development.
Lastly if you’re using formula or doing half and half - that’s okay. At the end of the day, fed is best.
Baby Blues
“Baby blues” are very common and are experienced between 40-85% of parents. Interestingly, the baby blues is commonly seen in Western countries due to the lack of strong familial support and bonding.
Generally, the baby blues can be linked to changes in hormonal levels after birth, which can be further compounded by possible stress associated with it.
Symptoms typically start within 2-3 days after birth, and can last for the first 2 weeks. Symptoms of baby blues, usually don’t interfere with the social and occupational functioning of parents.
You may experience mild symptom such as:
Intermittent sadness
Anxiety
Unexplained crying
Restlessness
Difficulty making decisions
Irritability
Depressive state
Because baby blues is (usually) self-limiting, there aren’t any dedicated treatments for it. That being said, social support and reassurance from the family members may be incredibly beneficial for new parents.
Postpartum depression can result if baby blues last for more than 2 weeks. It can affect anyone who has given birth - it doesn’t discriminate. It’s often left untreated as women frequently report feeling ashamed about seeking help, and are worried about being labelled as a ‘bad mother’ if they acknowledge that they are battling depression.
In the postpartum, it may be worthwhile for your and your partner to familiarize with the symptom with postpartum depression, so it doesn’t go unnoticed and untreated.
Support
Women tend to place a lot of expectations on themselves to be supermom and accomplish everything - but that can be difficult to achieve when you're sleep-deprived or simply recovering from birth.
As a first-time mom, it may be also difficult to anticipate everything that needs to be done. Accepting support from others, like your partner, family and friends can ease the burden of getting everything accomplished - and may even allow you to get a couple of naps in.
A useful tip may be to place a note of all the house chores on your fridge, and have your support system help eliminate those from the list while you enjoy time with your baby (or get said nap).
Remember that not everyone is cut out to support you - and that’s okay. They can send over some meals if that’s the case. Having people around who will give you confidence and decrease your stress are the best people to have around! If you have a small support system, you may want to consider hiring a post-partum doula.
Final Thoughts
The fourth trimester can be both a wonderful and stressful period for all moms and their partner. My main message is don’t forget to take care of yourself!
If you're wanting support, feel free to book an appointment with me. I would love to support you from a holistic lens as you recover from birth and embrace this new role.