Your due date is lurking and there is so much talk about birth plans and labour bags and birth positions but have you had the post-birth conversation yet?
The reason I ask is that when I was having my first child there were so many things that happened post birth I had no idea about.
This may seem strange given I was under the care of a professional who I paid a good sum of money too for their expertise but interesting how they failed to supply the post-birth information that would have been really nice to know about.
I truly believe the biggest shock to the system was post birth when we had bubba in our arms and all these things were happening to my body that I never expected.
For me, the adrenaline wore off (day 3 or 4), the baby blues set in and I was trying to hold it all together in this unknown territory called motherhood thinking is this what it’s like every day?
It obviously picked up once we got feeding under control, sleep routines sorted and recovery was going well.
So some upfront tips (setting expectations for you that I was never told):
1) You will have blood loss, more than you have ever experienced before and it will last a while (be prepared).
2) Swelling, oh man not prepared for this either, ice is great plus I used a soothing spray second time around (amazing) a spritzer of lavender and frankincense topped with water to soothe swelling and it was a game changer. ?
3) Afterpains kick in when you are breastfeeding to help your uterus contract again – not so bad first baby but any baby after that (arhhhh felt like labour all over again probably worse) – heat pack and essential oils (Siberian fir, copaiba, frankincense, lavender). ?
4) Emotional high and emotional low – the BABY BLUES will hit day 3 or 4 and prepare to cryyyyyyyy – I used my oils to support the emotional aspects of this like lavender peace, frankincense, wild orange, balance.
5) Sleep deprivation (you guessed it) – it’s real, this is the hardest thing about being a parent, constant lack of sleep. Broken sleep is the worse. My essential oils were a blessing here and still today they support my quality of sleep every single day! I use oils like copaiba, frankincense, lavender, balance, lavender peace and vetiver.
6) Breastfeeding isn’t easy and it takes time and practice so hang in there and it will get better but prepare yourself for cracked nipples and frustrating moments. I promise you it’s worth every encounter you go through to be able to feed your baby the pure gold that you produce to keep them strong and healthy.
So there you have it, 6 things I was never told that I hope will help you.
If you expect something you can prepare mentally (most important) and you can prepare the natural support toolkit that you need to support yourself through those times coming out the other end still emotionally and physically in control, healthy and mobile.
Postnatal depression is real and knowing what to expect definitely alleviates the overwhelm, emotional struggles and allows you to enter motherhood feeling somewhat ready for what awaits.
Prepare, become aware, educate yourself and create a natural support toolkit that will make your experience and memories of post birth and motherhood a positive one forever.
Need help preparing your natural support toolkit, contact me and I’ll help you get the oils you need. Alternatively, click here and order your own today and I will be in touch.
Tahlia ?
