Ensuring Postpartum Success During Shelter-in-Place

Postpartum in the season of shelter-in-place or stay-at-home orders is new territory for us. Collectively, we’ve never been more distanced from our support networks, which can be so, so hard for new parents. After all, there is a lot of validity to the saying “it takes a village.” Yet we’re finding innovative ways to stay connected and supported from the safety of our homes, from virtual lactation visits to support groups over Zoom.

We wrote a blog post on Ensuring Postpartum Success, back in the good ol’ days of 2019. And while much of it remains true today, we wanted to provide you with an updated version that includes all of our favorite resources available to you virtually.

First and foremost, take some time prenatally to put together a Postpartum Plan. A few things to think about as you get started:

If you aren’t birthing at home, who is going to take the dog while you’re at the birth center or hospital? How long are they willing to take care of your fur babies while you lay low with your newborn?

Does the plan change if a cesarean section is necessary? Perhaps a relative or friend has isolated themselves for the suggested 14-21 days and feels safe and willing to care for your older kiddo(s) so you can catch a rest, shower, or just soak in some alone time with your sweet new baby.

Will someone come help you with chores around the house after your partner goes back to work-from-home, or will you need to find a schedule that works between just the two of you? Do you need to figure out a different sleeping arrangement for some days of the week?

Who will bring you and family food once you get home? And then three weeks later when things are still hard, but the meal train has run out? Is your grocery delivery dependable? How do you feel about delivery right now?

You might be looking into encapsulating your placenta for a physical or emotional boost postpartum. Does your health care provider or place of birth have any policies around taking the placenta home? Putting a plan in place before baby’s arrival can help your postpartum feel lighter and leave more space for rest, recovery, and healing - the important things.

In what we call the Golden Weeks of Postpartum, or more often, the fourth trimester, we turn to the “5-5-5 Rule” to guide a gentle transition toward finding a new sense of normalcy. This is where quarantine or shelter-in-place might not feel so off-track from the standard practice. There are numerous cultures that have dedicated the postpartum time to consist of limited visitors, extended periods of “lying in,” and nourishing foods that support the health and immune system for the whole family.

What exactly is the “5-5-5 Rule” you ask? We consider it to be an extremely beneficial rule of thumb for slowly adding back more movement and activity to your days in the postpartum time.

The recommendation is that one spends the first five days after birth in bed: only getting up only to visit the restroom, maybe taking time for a shower every now and then. Most of your meals are brought to you by a loved one and you have snacks littered around you as you snuggle and feed baby between naps.

For the next five days, one will then spend their time on the bed: a lot of napping or baby feeding on the bed, couch, or a chair on the porch. With frequent feedings throughout the night and the continued postpartum recovery, these naps are non-negotiable, even if you’re feeling a bit more in the rhythm of things than the week prior. If you find yourself with a bit of cabin fever, you might line up an end of the day Zoom with a friend or FaceTime dinner with a relative.

Then, the last five days are spent near the bed: you’re continuing those skin-to-skin snuggles throughout the day and perhaps a bit more of a schedule with feeding your newborn that allows more time to move about the house more. Maybe you take a walk down the block, run an errand, or fold a bit of laundry while you catch up on the new season of Ozark. Just one outing or chore a day, leaving the rest for your family or loved ones to attend to (just as you prepared for in your Postpartum Plan!).

When do you know if you’re doing too much, too soon? Most often, postpartum bleeding will pick up if this is the case. Bleeding should only lessen with each passing day, so an uptick might be a sign that rest is needed. If you pass a golfball-sized clot (or larger), or fill a pad in an hour or less, be sure to give your provider a call! Listen to your body. If you’re feeling tired, put on Daniel Tiger for the toddler, hand the baby to your partner, and nap for goodness sakes! There is no guilt or shame is giving your body what it needs.

Lastly, let’s talk about what resources are available to you virtually during this time. We’re seeing many initial pediatric visits happening in-person still, but other than that you might be meeting with other health care providers via TeleHealth or another video conferencing format.

What physical support will you need? How can you access high quality pelvic floor support? What mental health support do you need? We know it can be normal to experience the baby blues after birth, but how blue is too blue? If you’re in Minnesota, most of the providers listed on Postpartum Support MN’s website offer online services and work with various insurance companies (those without insurance can ask for options as well!). There is one-on-one support as well as support groups for new parents.

And breastfeeding/chestfeeding! There can be so many questions with this. Is the latch right? Is baby getting enough? How do I know? This can be so difficult to navigate! Our lactation professionals can meet with you virtually to create a sustainable and attainable feeding plan. What is the plan if your baby is born with a tongue tie? This might be something you ask your pediatrician about prenatally or as soon as it is diagnosed from a lactation professional or nurse.

Pro Tip: The Fourth Trimester and The First Forty Days are our go-to book recommendations for this time, and both available in audiobook format. Should you like a hard copy, they also make for great baby shower gifts with advice you will actually put to use, we promise. These books are filled with amazing recipes, age-old healing practices, and fresh ideas for postpartum success.

We always say, just because your baby is out of your body, does not meant we stop being on call for you - we are here for you throughout the entirety of your postpartum time. We have such an abundant birth and parenting community here in the Twin Cities, and we’re be happy to help you find a good fit for whatever your family’s needs might be.

And while we aren’t currently able to come to your home to document our favorite Real Postpartum or New Family Photography Sessions, we are starting to roll out some ideas on how you can best capture all these first moments with baby. We’re so excited to share more with you soon!