Writing a Postpartum Plan
Birth plans are becoming more common everyday, and families are sharing their birth plans with their caregivers, hospitals, family members, doulas, etc. Birth plans are almost indispensable now, and essential to reaching your birth preferences. Well, have you ever heard of a postpartum plan? Preparing a postpartum plan is not yet as common, however it is just as important as a birth plan. And you will learn why as you read.
In this post, as a postpartum doula, I will write about the essentials of a postpartum plan. I always say in my sessions that sometimes we concentrate a lot on the moment of birth that we forget to get prepared for afterwards. I would like to mention here that I call it postpartum preferences rather than a plan because it is not possible to plan it but only have choices about it. Having preferences and then embracing reality as life itself. So you decide your preferences and get prepared to reach them as much as you can.
First of all, what is postpartum, and what is a postpartum plan?
Very briefly, postpartum is the time period including the first 40 days after a woman gives birth where she recovers from birth, adjusts to her new life, and bonds with her baby. We know postpartum is much more than that for sure—duration vise, spiritual vise, meaning vise— but it is a whole other article topic. It is a transition period, and a mother needs postpartum support.
A postpartum plan is a written document where you write down your goals, expectations, and preferences for the first weeks or months after birth, that you write as organised on a paper. It is much more efficient if you write it together with your partner,i which means you can also have a detailed talk about your expectations from each other as well. You can each have a copy to remember each other’s sensitivities.
A postpartum plan helps you communicate better with the people who are going to be around you after your baby comes. You can write it down and give it to the staff at the hospital, your postpartum doula, your caregiver or your baby’s caregiver, your nanny, your family members…
What should you include?
You can start by writing down your parental leaves, including their lengths. Who is going to stay at home with your baby?
Then one of the most important topics is visitors. Will you allow visitors from the very beginning? (including hospital/birth center) or after which day you will accept visitors. It is also good to discuss with your partner what your rules are about visitors: things they can help with, like washing hands, no smoking, no kissing or holding the baby, etc. You can make a list of the tasks and the rules.
Tip: Two weeks is a very good time to adjust your new routines as a family, and limiting the number of visitors is a good idea during that time.
Write about responsibility sharing about the baby cares. Who will be doing what? (Mother? Father? Nanny? Grandmother?…) Consider things like feeding the baby, changing diapers, burping, giving a bath, doing housework like preparing a meal, laundry, shopping… Feel free to include any detail you want.
Write down about the sleeping routines. Where will the baby sleep? (in his/her room, co-sleeping in the parents bed, in parents room in his/her own crib, or next-to-me) What routines will you have before the baby goes to sleep? Who will wake up during the night?
Write down your breastfeeding plans. Are you going to breastfeed on demand or on schedule? Who is going to feed your baby if you have to pump and give it to your baby. Who will you get help from if you experience a problem? Make a list of resources, including lactation consultants, postpartum doulas, midwives, pediatricians, and breastfeeding support groups.
Tip: Learn about breastfeeding and get prepared. Learn the different techniques for giving expressed milk to your baby.
Write down the list of people who can help you and whom you want to have around. It can be a postpartum doula, nurse, breastfeeding consultant, nanny, helper, family members, friends. If you choose a professional, then make a list of thouse you would like to meet and hire. Meet and talk to these people before your baby arrives. Make sure they know all your preferences very well.
Consider and write down how you are going to handle food during the postpartum period. A healthy and nutritious meal is very important for you during this period. Please take this as one of the priorities and plan ahead. Are you going to prepare frozen food? Then include a list in your plan. What are the healthy food alternatives and restaurants that deliver? Who can prepare a home-cooked meal for you?
If you have older children, who is going to take care of them? Include the names in your plan. Prepare a list of the routines or special needs of your children. Also, it would be good to talk about the ways to bond your children with the baby—things you want to do and avoid doing.
If you have a pet, who is going to take care of your pet when you are in labor and after you come back home with your baby? Write down any specific needs of your pet.
Write down what you expect from each other. What do you expect from your partner as the mother? What should the partner’s role be? As the partner, what do you expect from the mother? What should the mother’s role be?
Include your plans for your couple’s time. Make a list of things that you enjoy or that make you feel good as a couple. Who can provide support to take care of your baby so that you can do these things? Include some activities that you can do at home while the baby is asleep. What are the most important aspects of your relationship that you want to preserve after the baby comes, and what are the ways to keep them going?
Tip: Spend half an hour together every day talking about something but your baby.
Make a list of people you know with babies of similar ages, groups, and organizations that you can connect with people who have babies. You can think of moms groups, breastfeeding groups, common friends, and people from your birth education class.
Search and write down the names in case you need psychological support. You can write down a friend who can listen to you. You can choose to contact a birth psychologist, a psychotherapist, or postpartum support groups.
You can include returning to work preferences in this plan as well. You can include the specific time if you know when you are returning. Who will take care of your baby then? Write the list of things that will make this time easier for you.
Tip: Some parents prefer to have a separate plan for returning to work, especially if the parental leaves are long.
Lastly, you can include a list of resources that you trust for when you need to refer and search during the postpartum period.
Here is an example plan where you can use to form your own or you can use as a template.
What are the benefits of preparing a postpartum plan?
Making a plan and writing all these things down before you need them calms your mind. You know the people that will be involved in this process know what your preferences are. It is much harder to decide and search for these when in sleep deprivation, with postpartum hormones, and in transition. It is harder to think clearly, especially when everyone around you is sharing their own opinion. When you have a written plan, it is much easier to stick to it.
After writing down your preferences and identifying the resources you may need, it is time to find out about the resources mentioned in your plan. Prepare for afterbirth by discussing everything with your partner and arranging everything before your baby arrives. Now that you have a clear vision and know what to do when in need, you can wait with peace of mind. Always keep in mind that postpartum support is so significant.
Please don’t forget that postpartum is not a luxury; it is essential!
