Give yourself permission to rest. Your placenta has left a dinner plate sized wound inside your uterus and taking it very slow will actually expedite healing in the long run.
Limit visitors, with the exception of those who you know will be able to support you and your recovery, like your postpartum doula, lactation consultant or a trusted friend. Boundaries are essential in this delicate, but fleeting season and do not feel pressured to welcome non-helpful people into your sacred window until YOU are ready.
Indulge in skin to skin with your baby. Not only will this promote bonding and boost milk supply, it will also regulate baby’s temperature, blood sugar and colonize their skin with beneficial maternal bacteria to boost the microbiome.
Pay attention to your bleeding. You’ll probably notice that it tends to ramp up on days when you’re especially active. This is your body’s built-in barometer to remind you take things s l o w.
Don’t retire that birth ball just yet! Bouncing on a ball is an excellent way to soothe a newborn and remind them of the gentle rocking they experienced in the womb. For the first weeks or so, it can be helpful to enlist someone else to do the bouncing while you heal.
