Serving mothers all over the eastern area of the DFW metroplex including Rockwall, Mesquite, Garland, Forney, Royse City, Greenville, Wylie, Richardson and Rowlett. We looks forward to meeting you and your family!
SCHEDULE YOUR FREE CONSULTATIONIn the next 8-12 weeks you’ll be holding your baby. So far, our focus has all been on preparing for the birth. Now, I want to take a moment to help you prepare for the first days and weeks after the birth.
You’ll get a shopping list of things that you’ll need to purchase at your 36 week appointment. And, of course your family is probably buying you a bunch of stuff for the baby. Another part of the postpartum plan is to think through how the first few days at home with your newborn will look.
Bed Rest: The first 3 days, I want you to be in bed. Literally - in bed. You can get up to walk to the bathroom, and then straight back to bed.
Sleeping: The baby needs to be with you night and day. Most of my clients like to have a bed insert to keep the baby isolated from your blankets and pillows. Others like to have a bedside cradle or bassinet.
Breastfeeding: Please familiarize yourself with breastfeeding videos or take a breastfeeding class. There are many good videos on Youtube. Here’s one to get you started:
Food & Water: You will need to eat three full, healthy meals and at least that many snacks every day. And, you’ll need to drink about 1/2 your body weight in water. Good nutrition and hydration will help you heal. But since you’ll be in bed, food and water have to magically appear for you. So, please make sure everyone in your home realizes that if they put something in their own mouth they need to be bringing you something to eat and drink at the same time. You may want to make some meals ahead of time and freeze them for easy dinners.
A few things you can buy: At your 36 week appointment, I’ll give you a shopping list of all the fun things to buy for birth. But, I might as well share some fun things some people like to buy for the “postpartum”. MyBreastFriend pillow, Momma Frida, DokaTot bed insert, a few great nursing bras, comfortable clothing for the first week after birth.
The dynamic hormone changes, increased stress, and changes in every area of your life that you will experience in pregnancy and as a new parent can be a lot to handle. For some people, the normal mood swings we call “baby blues” turn into something more serious — Postpartum Depression or Anxiety.
Some risk factors for Postpartum depression are:
Some important strategies to prevent depression include:
If you already have a relationship with a therapist, meet with them before the birth and create a post-birth plan.
If you find you are having more “dark days” than “sunny days” in the weeks after the birth, please call me, or tell your partner and family so they can offer you more support. There are therapists in the metroplex who specialize in postpartum support.
Underlying beliefs and unexpressed fears can truly affect how your body functions. One of the important things you can do to first uncover your deepest beliefs, and then work with them so you are emotionally prepared for birth is to read and meditate on affirmations.
Some people read favorite scriptures. Others enjoy maternal poetry. One fairly simple thing to do is print out birth affirmations. Put them around your house or on your bathroom mirror.... where you can see them every day and begin to let their truth sink into your here. I have created a list of affirmations on my website under Resources.
This is a great time to begin doing some extra reading. You might find it interesting to read about sleep training, breastfeeding, vaccine choice, etc. Check out my suggested reading list in your client portal under education. I have a client library that has some of the recommended reading that you may peruse, if you see one you would like to check out let me know and I will bring it to your next visit if it is available.
CLIENT LIBRARY
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